As coyote pups start to wander out of their dens at this time of year, Long Beach Animal Care Services is warning residents to take precautions to protect themselves and their pets.
Long Beach Animal Care Services recommends residents take the following precautions to ward off coyotes:
- Never feed coyotes or any other wildlife.
- Keep pets and pet food inside. If feeding outside, feed pets during the day (no more than one hour) and remove the food and water bowls when finished.
- Stay close to your pet when taking them outdoors and always keep them on a leash, especially from dusk through early morning hours.
- Remove fallen fruit from the ground.
- Bag food wastes such as meat scraps or leftover pet food.
- Keep trash in containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Use “hazing” techniques to shoo away coyotes, such as standing tall, yelling and waving arms while approaching the coyote; using a whistle, air horn, bell or other devices; banging pots or pans together; stomping your feet; using a water hose, or throwing tennis balls, sticks or rocks at the coyote to scare it off. The intention of hazing is to scare off coyotes rather than harm them.
- Never run away from a coyote.
While animal control will not respond to reports of normal coyote behavior such as sightings, personnel will respond if a person or pet is attacked, if a coyote appears to be sick or injured or if a coyote is out in the daytime near people, especially if they are near playgrounds or schools.
If a coyote is immediately threatening someone’s life, call 911.
1 comment
Comments are closed.