Predator on the prowl

Coyotes survive, thrive in Florida

 
Charlotte Sun
Aug. 21, 2008

By NEIL HUGHES
Staff Writer

It used to be that in more rural areas of Florida, you could sometimes hear the ominous howl of a coyote in the distance. Nothing more than a sound, though.

Now, due to population growth encroaching on the animal’s habitat, encounters between humans and the Eastern coyote are becoming more common, creating a potentially dangerous scenario.

Weighing as much as 85 pounds, the Eastern coyote is about the size of a small wolf — much bigger and stronger than the 45-pound Western coyote. In fact, some experts believe the Eastern coyote to actually be a wolf, hybridized with the Algonquin breed.

Win Sell, animal control officer with the city of North Port, said the Eastern coyote likely will not attack a human if left unprovoked. Though, he said, he would not recommend walking a small dog at night in a rural area.

“That’s the same thing as trolling for gators with a big old ham bone,” Sell said.

Sal Santalucia learned that lesson the hard way, when he had to fight to save the life of his pet Schnauzer, Frankie, from a coyote attack in Estero. The June attack was the second one in that neighborhood in as many months.

Such attacks are a new development, Sell said. And he would know — he was bitten in 1994.

“They’re a lot more prevalent than they used to be,” he said. “Twenty years ago, you would hear them, but you would never see them.”

The population is growing, as well. Eastern coyotes have been making their way down from the north for years, said Parker Hall, South Florida district supervisor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It’s been a slow migration,” Hall said.

People must now be aware of the new threat and adopt safe practices to discourage an Eastern coyote from visiting their home.

For starters, keep your pets inside at night. And bring in their food, too, as coyotes will eat that as well.

“He’s not picky,” Sell said. “He’s like a raccoon.”

Coyotes will make their way into anything from gardens to chicken coops, and eat anything small from berries to bunnies.

Urban coyotes of all sizes are common across the state, Hall said. For years they’ve been a problem at cattle ranches, and they like to eat watermelons on farms.

“They do a lot of damage to the agriculture industry,” Hall said.

It’s only recently that cats and dogs have become more consistent prey.

“The ones coming down here are adapting quite well,” Sell said. “Probably too well.”

Because the Eastern coyote can mate with a dog, it is Sell’s biggest concern that one will breed with someone’s pet German shepherd, creating a coy-dog that isn’t as shy as most coyotes are now.

“You’ve already got something that’s not necessarily afraid of humans,” he said, “but doesn’t particularly like them either.”