JEFFERSON COUNTY — Coyotes skulk everywhere in the Denver metro area, and wildlife experts said Wednesday that the most effective way to reduce encounters with the predators is prevention.
Apparent increases in coyote sightings, pet snatchings and attacks on people drew several hundred local officials to a state wildlife symposium at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
“City coyotes are not new,” said Jerrie McKee, a district wildlife manager with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. “Coyotes have learned that our cities are rich in resources and a safe place to raise pups.”
Conflicts with coyotes are new to some cities, while others have dealt with them for decades, said Steve Yamashita, the DOW’s northeastern Colorado regional manager.
“We have significant issues now, and we have to deal with them collaboratively,” Yamashita said. He added that each community needs to decide what works best.
Yamashita said the DOW is investigating the feasibility of a centralized tracking system for reports of coyote conflicts.
The system could help pinpoint “hot spots” so problem coyotes could be targeted. Currently, the DOW does not intervene unless a coyote attacks a person.
The DOW has investigated eight attacks on people in the past five years, but there probably are more because agencies don’t always share information.
In January, a woman in Broomfield was bitten on the arm while playing Frisbee with her dog, and a 14-year-old Greenwood Village boy fended off a coyote but was not injured.
Last week, Greenwood Village approved limited shooting of coyotes in parks and greenbelts and on trails.
“We don’t want to kill all of them or thin them,” said Police Chief Donnie Perry. “But we may have to shoot or kill some of the coyotes.”
Since the plan was approved, no action has been taken against a coyote, Perry said.
Greenwood Village has been trapping coyotes since 1998, Perry said, but the problem has grown. So far this year, Greenwood Village has received 71 reports about coyotes, compared with 186 in all of 2008 and 111 in 2004.
Jefferson County has collected about 20 coyote reports in the past few months that are more significant than sightings.
“Now we’re getting about one per day,” said Jefferson County animal-control manager Carla Zinanti.
DOW experts urged communities to develop their own coyote management plans, with public education as a top priority.
Efforts should emphasize prevention of conflicts between humans, their pets and coyotes, said Eliza Hunholz, a DOW area wildlife manager.
Hazing — yelling, throwing rocks and any other actions that make coyotes regain a fear of humans — and other measures should be a part of educating individuals to reduce what Hunholz called “this tsunami of coyote conflicts.”
“The new reality in the Denver area is people can’t leave their pets unattended,” Hunholz said. “It is a difficult sell, it’s inconvenient and a big change, but that’s the new reality.”
Jefferson County Commissioner Kathy Hartman said citizen education “will do more than anything local government can do.”
Mary Ann Bonnell, an Aurora parks natural-resource specialist, agreed, saying communities “actually train their coyotes. What you do shapes their behavior.”
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
