Coyotes
Coyotes are a familiar sight across Illinois, including urban and suburban areas like Westchester. Protected under the Illinois Wildlife Code, coyotes require careful handling to ensure both human safety and animal welfare.
In urban areas, if a coyote poses a risk to safety or property, it's recommended to contact a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator, authorized by the State of Illinois. These professionals are trained to handle coyotes in accordance with state laws, ensuring humane treatment and legal compliance.
Since the 1990s, the coyote population in the Chicagoland area has significantly increased, with estimates suggesting over 30,000 coyotes across Illinois. Typically inhabiting wooded areas, coyotes occasionally venture into residential neighborhoods.
While sightings have increased, coyotes generally do not pose a threat to humans.
The following information is intended to educate residents about coyotes and the steps you can take to discourage them from frequenting residential area.
How to Discourage Coyotes
- Feeding: Always feed pets indoors and store pet food inside to avoid attracting coyotes.
- Yard Maintenance: Remove brush and dense weeds to reduce rodent shelter and coyote cover.
- Secure Trash: Use barrels with tight clamping devices to prevent access.
- Educate Others: Share knowledge about the risks of feeding and attracting wildlife.
Benefits of Coyotes
Coyotes play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, serving as effective natural rodent controllers. Areas populated by coyotes typically experience fewer problems with mice, gophers, squirrels, and rabbits. This natural form of pest control is often more desirable than using chemical poisons or mechanical traps, which can be harmful and inhumane. In the Western United States, many ranchers recognize the benefits of coyotes in managing populations of burrowing rodents that can cause injury to livestock during round-ups. Additionally, coyotes help control insect populations, protecting crops from potential infestations, such as those caused by grasshoppers. Allowing coyotes to inhabit these areas not only supports agricultural health but also promotes a balanced ecosystem.
- Natural Pest Control: Coyotes primarily feed on small mammals, including rodents such as mice and voles. By naturally controlling these populations, coyotes help maintain the balance in the ecosystem and can reduce the reliance on chemical rodenticides, which have broader environmental repercussions.
- Disease Control: By preying on small mammals that may carry diseases such as Lyme disease (through ticks), coyotes indirectly help in controlling the spread of such diseases to humans and other animals.
- Biodiversity Enhancement: Coyotes are adaptable and can thrive in diverse habitats, from rural to highly urbanized areas. Their presence supports the ecological principle that a diverse set of predators contributes to a healthy, resilient ecosystem by preventing any one species from becoming dominant, which can lead to monocultures that are more susceptible to diseases and pests.
- Ecosystem Balance: Coyotes play a role as a mid-level predator in the food chain. By interacting with other predator and prey species, they help ensure that dynamic ecological interactions are maintained, which is vital for a healthy ecosystem that includes forests, parks, and other green spaces around Westchester.
Responsible Pet/Animal Care
- Protect Pets: Keep cats and small dogs indoors and supervise them closely when outside. Secure outdoor animals in sturdy enclosures overnight.
- Avoid Attracting Coyotes: Do not leave pet food outdoors and secure bird feeders as they can attract smaller animals, which in turn attract coyotes.
Encountering a Coyote
- Be Assertive: If you see a coyote, make loud noises, clap, or throw objects in its direction (without aiming directly) to scare it away.
- Secure Areas: After dark, bring pets inside and do not leave them unattended, especially during the coyote mating season from February to April.
Coyotes' Diet and Behavior
- Coyotes primarily eat small rodents, deer, rabbits, and fruit but will scavenge when necessary.
- They are mostly nocturnal but may be seen during the day, particularly in summer.
- Coyotes often live or travel alone and are skilled at adapting to various environments.
Legal Restrictions on Trapping
Trapping and relocating coyotes is not only ineffective but also illegal without the appropriate permits. Disrupting a coyote family can lead to unintended ecological consequences and increase conflicts.
Coexisting with Coyotes
To coexistwith coyotes:
- Do Not Feed Wildlife: Feeding animals can unintentionally attract coyotes.
- Secure Outdoor Attractants: Manage trash and compost to make them inaccessible.
- Use Deterrents: Consider using motion-sensitive lights or noise devices to discourage coyotes from entering your property.
Public Health Concerns Regarding Coyotes
If you observe coyotes displaying behavior that may indicate rabies, immediately contact the Cook County Animal Control Office at 708-974-6140 or visit their website. Signs of rabies in coyotes include:
- Loss of fear of people
- Uncoordinated movements
- Seizures
Prompt reporting of such behaviors helps manage potential health risks effectively.