Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
of ways: by a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, by various state agencies, by coyote hunt-
ing contests, and by the efforts of individual ranchers. In fact, it's estimated that approximately 400,000
coyotes are killed each year by a variety of methods.
While the biggest coyote control programs are found in the West, the East has by no means been
totally lacking in such efforts. As coyotes became well established in the East, there were loud cries to
“do something” about this new menace. “Doing something” was usually vague, but often took the form
of calls for bounties and other incentives to kill as many coyotes as possible. This attitude of “let's kill
every one of the bastards” ignored mountains of evidence that such incentives were useless, and all too
frequently led to expensive and ineffective efforts to control coyotes.
How effective have coyote control programs been, especially in the West? While they've temporarily
reduced coyote populations in some localized areas, they've had little long-term effect on coyote pop-
ulations. Indeed, there are those who argue that the control efforts have actually increased coyote pop-
ulations because they've stimulated coyote reproduction. Ranchers counter that the control programs
have either reduced coyote numbers in local areas or, at the very least, have prevented greater coyote
numbers from causing even higher losses of sheep.
Before further exploration of the knotty problem of coyote control, let's examine the reasons for this
animal's remarkable resilience. Why have coyotes been able to survive—and even increase their range
and numbers—in the face of the most expensive and intensive animal control efforts in North America?
The answer lies in three things: wariness, adaptability, and reproductive response.
Coyotes are known for their extreme wariness. One successful coyote trapper, for example, terms
them the most difficult of all species to trap, even more so than the notoriously wary red fox. Likewise,
coyote hunters can attest to the extreme cautiousness of the species. Although it's possible to hunt and
trap them successfully, it's no easy matter.
Coyotes have also shown exceptional ability to adapt to new and changing habitats far different from
their traditional ones. Once largely denizens of the prairies and deserts, they now inhabit densely fores-
ted areas, suburbs, and even parts of our largest cities, such as Los Angeles and New York!
Wariness and adaptability alone, however, probably wouldn't have saved the coyote from major re-
ductions in its population, at least in many areas. Here's where the coyote's third line of defense comes
into play: as soon as coyote numbers show any substantial decrease, the remaining coyotes begin to
produce larger litters with a much higher rate of survival among their offspring. It's this trait that so ef-
fectively defeats the long-term success of coyote control programs. Even though temporary reductions
may be achieved locally, the coyote population soon recovers.
Because of their depredations, real or imagined, on sheep and other livestock, game populations,
pets, and other things valued by humans, coyotes generally elicit the question,
“What
should we do to
control coyotes?” Others, perhaps a bit more thoughtful, ask,
“Should
we attempt to control coyotes?”
Actually, those are the wrong questions; the proper one is
“Can
we control coyotes?” As far as long-
term control over any sizable area is concerned, the answer is a resounding “No!”
