Is trying to tackle Tega Cay’s coyote problem just howling at the moon?
Nature has gotten a little too close for comfort in some Tega Cay back yards. Residents met with city leaders and state officials at a forum Wednesday night to once again discuss the city’s coyote problem.
S.C. Department of Natural Resources officers 1st Sgt. Jason Plemmons and Lance Cpl. Dwayne Rogers were on hand to educate residents about the animals and give advice on handling problems associated with them.
Coyotes migrated eastward from their native western plains and deserts, the wildlife experts explained. The pace of expansion increased rapidly in the 20th century, facilitated by bridges built across the Mississippi River. The first coyotes in South Carolina were observed in 1978 in Oconee and Pickens counties, and coyotes now reside in all counties across the state, Plemmons said.
Now, an untold but apparently significant number of coyotes have decided to take up residence in Tega Cay, especially in the northern part of the city and the areas around the golf course, according to residents and officials. The issue was raised at a City Council meeting last spring.
“Contrary to what you might have heard, the Department of Natural Resources had absolutely nothing to do with bringing coyotes to South Carolina,” Plemmons said.
“We do not want them here. They are not native to South Carolina. We are all for trying to get rid of them, but there’s only so much you can do. Everything we’ve tried in the past has not been cost effective. They are not going to go away. That’s just not going to happen. We’re just going to have to find a way to live with them,”
Increased development and habitat loss forces many species into closer proximity to humans, and coyotes have been a little too successful with this transition to urban and suburban areas throughout North America, the experts said.
“Animals know how to adapt to different things,” Rogers said. “Coyotes are not really as big and bad as we make them out to be. We’re trying to educate people. It’s a balancing act.”
Adult coyotes average about 35 pounds, but can reach up to 50. Unlike wolves, their larger canine cousins, coyotes do not live in large packs. They generally live in nuclear family units with both parents caring for their young, or alone. They are most active at night, but can be seen during the day, especially during the spring and summer months as they work to find additional food when raising pups.
Coyotes are territorial, and a pair can cover a range of approximately 20 miles.
The animals are naturally shy and typically will not approach humans, Plemmons said. Rodents and rabbits make up most of their diets, but they are omnivores and also eat fruit and nuts, grains, and carrion. Coyotes often take the blame for missing pets and pet deaths actually caused by car impacts and other local predators, including foxes, eagles, owls, hawks and raccoons, although they will prey on cats and small dogs if they have access, Rogers says.
Research suggests the incidence of coyotes eating cats and dogs is low—between 1 and 2 percent of coyote scats researched showed evidence of this – although it can become a learned behavior among individual animals who can teach it to their offspring, and incidence rates in some areas is higher for this reason.
“My cats were coyote food,” Tega Cay resident Lonnie Mikolon charged, echoing sentiments from other city residents.
Mikolon has lost two cats this month to predation and believes more should be done to understand Tega Cay’s specific coyote problem. He suggests community-wide volunteer reporting and monitoring of the animals and efforts to reduce their food sources.
“We’ve got a lot of complaints, and we’ve got a lot of people upset. If two coyotes can sound like twenty, maybe we don’t have the problem we think we have. I would like to get a little proactive. Everybody wants to say it’s not going to work, but let’s give it a try,” Mikolon said.
Mikolon has an idea: make the area inhospitable to coyotes. Most residents don’t realize that some of their everyday behaviors are inadvertently encouraging the coyotes to stay, and worse, to become more comfortable around humans, a precursor to dangerous nuisance behaviors, he said. Bird and wildlife feeders and some pet care practices are exacerbating the problem, Mikolon said.
Other solutions
Tega Cay mayor George Sheppard said that research by Council estimates attempting to trap the coyotes would cost the city at least $2,000 weekly, with no guarantees of success.
Although trapping and euthanization is the most effective method to remove the highly intelligent and naturally elusive animals—by state law they cannot be relocated— it is unlikely that even an experienced trapper will be able to solve a suburban coyote problem, Plemmons explained, much to the frustration of some residents.
“Coyotes are extremely smart. Trapping is only a temporary fix,” Plemmons said.
Gloria Hayes, a seven year resident of Tega Cay who owns two small dogs and has installed an invisible fence in her yard, was one of many residents who left the meeting without a sense of closure.
“It’s a lost cause,” she said.
“The city will not do anything. They’re saying if you kill (a coyote) another one will take its place. It’s just frustrating. I’ve spent all this money on this fence, and my puppies love to go outside. At least I would try (trapping the coyotes). I don’t know. No one knows,” Hayes said.
Several issues complicate suburban coyote eradication, Plemmons explained.
Removing coyotes from an area that continues to provide food, water and shelter for them creates a vacuum effect, encouraging new individual animals to move in to take their places. Coyotes are highly territorial, and eliminating individuals from an established territory can actually increase the population in that area temporarily as new animals move in and attempt to reestablish the territory as their own.
A second complication is compensatory breeding. When coyotes are pressured to reduce population size, they are able to compensate by producing larger litters. However, the population stabilizes when the area reaches its carrying capacity again.
Lawsuits originating from pets or children being injured by the traps are another potential concern for the city, Plemmons notes.
SCDNR does not trap coyotes with the exception of sick animals that pose a public safety risk. Tega Cay has no city-specific restrictions on trapping coyotes, but firearms may not be discharged within city limits. Property owners with coyote damage may apply for a depredation permit from SCDNR, and no license or permit is required to trap a coyote on your property within 100 yards of your home.
However, trapped coyotes may not be relocated and the trapper is responsible for euthanizing the animal. SCDNR in conjunction with Clemson University Extension and the South Carolina Trappers Association also offers public workshops on coyote biology and control. Information on contacting trappers and full details are available online at dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/coyote.
“I think there’s a certain group of people who have decided the coyotes are the culprit,” said Christine Lekich, an eighty-year resident of Tega Cay.
“When you live in a wooded area, you bear a responsibility to adapt. There were good facts presented tonight that support the research I’ve done. For the most part, coyotes are elusive animals and they don’t want anything to do with humans. I know there is a feeling that Council hasn’t looked into it, but they have researched this. When there’s no guarantee, I would rather see the $2,000 a week spent on other things.”
Scott Shirley, a hunter and conservationist who has lived in Tega Cay for 12 years, said the best course is learn to live with the animals.
“Nobody sent out invitations to these coyotes,” he said.
“They’re just an adaptable animal that had no place to go. They’re here and they’re here to stay. If we try to eradicate them, they’re going to come back even greater. I don’t know how popular this is but I don’t think we should do anything about them. If we use good personal judgment we minimize the risk. I don’t see a reason to mess with their natural patterns. I think we should take the advice and leave it alone. We’ve got to use better judgment.”
Want to know more?
Here are some tips for discouraging coyotes from visiting your property or neighborhood:
▪ Bird and wildlife feeders provide a food source for coyotes both directly—they will eat grain and seeds—and indirectly, as rodents and rabbits attracted by the feeders are the coyotes’ primary food of choice. Continual easy meals encourage the animals to stay in the area.
▪ Feeding pets outdoors has a similar effect. To minimize the potential for coyote damage, pets should be fed indoors, or fed only as much as they need, with leftovers removed immediately, to discourage frequent, easy meals for coyotes. Pets should be kept indoors when unsupervised, especially at night.
▪ All outdoor sources of food and water should be secured or eliminated, and trash containers should be secured. Brush and yard debris should be cut back and cleared around residences to discourage small animals from nesting there. Never purposefully feed coyotes.
Additional safety tip: Be certain that children know never to approach a strange dog, cat or wild animal, and to ask permission from the pet owner and a parent before approaching someone else’s pet.
This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Is trying to tackle Tega Cay’s coyote problem just howling at the moon?."