If you live anywhere near the Santa Monica Mountains, you have encountered coyotes. They can be menaces to your smaller dogs or cats, eat at your trash, and run around your yard at night. But why is this? As more and more development continues to grow the cities around the Santa Monica Mountains, there is less and less space for the coyotes to live. So when your you build or buy your home in the hills, you must remember that at one point that was land for the coyotes and other animals to roam. Coyotes are known to scale fences as high as six feet, and will even dig under your fence. Here are some tips to keep your pets safe from coyotes:
- Keep your pets inside at night, and prevent them from getting out without your supervision
- When walking your small dogs at night, make sure you’re in a well lit area
- Keep all outdoor trash can lids closed, to prevent the coyotes from eating it
- Pick fruit on your trees as soon as it ripens, and keep rotten fruits off the ground
- Never feed a wild coyote
- Don’t leave your pets food outside — especially at night
- Prevent your pet from roaming free
If you see coyotes and they are up to no good, consider filling out a coyote encounter observation report. In addition, you can communicate with your local officials or contact animal control should a coyote be violent or eating your garbage.
Sources:
http://www.cityofcalabasas.com/coyotes.html
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