Watch out for more coyotes on the prowl this fall. Coyote sightings and attacks across Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View have increased and spread, according to local animal control authorities.
“Every seven or eight years, we see increased coyote activity like this and we have reports and video surveillance of coyotes in the (Palo Alto) Baylands and in Los Altos neighborhoods they aren’t normally seen in,” Palo Alto lead animal control officer Cody Macartney said.
Palo Alto’s Animal Control Division serves Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, while Mountain View is covered by Santa Clara County’s Mosquito and Vector Control District.
Although fall sightings are typical, this season’s numbers are higher than the norm, according to Macartney.
“Since July, we’ve handled several coyote-related calls a week, from people seeing them in neighborhoods to hunting activity,” Macartney said. “Now the young coyotes are grown and out learning how to hunt by themselves and that’s all a big cycle.”
Reports this fall have also stretched to areas where coyotes weren’t often seen before.
“Sometimes we see them go down creeks into the flatlands of Los Altos or the Baylands,” Macartney said. “I’ve been doing this job for about 23 years and we haven’t had reports of coyotes all the way in the Baylands that I can remember.”
This spike isn’t random, according to Carolyn Whitesell, human-wildlife interactions advisor for Santa Clara County and a Los Altos native. She said it reflects both growing coyote populations and their increasing ability to adapt to suburban environments.
“Coyotes are incredibly adaptable and have learned to live in major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, so I’m not surprised they’ve been seen near El Camino (Real),” Whitesell said.
As daylight shortens and the weather gets colder, Whitesell and Macartney both predicted that coyote sightings should taper off.
“We usually see the coyote activity settle down because they’re getting ready for winter,” Macartney said. “I’m expecting by the next month or so that our calls for service should reduce.”
But when spring rolls around, sightings should increase again, according to Whitesell.
“There tends to be (another) spike in coyote reports in the spring, during denning season, when coyotes will protect their den against perceived threats, including people and dogs,” Whitesell said.
For now, Whitesell and Macartney encourage residents to scare off coyotes from residential areas and keep dogs on leash and cats indoors if they spot coyotes in the wild.
“Make them feel unwelcome by yelling, making loud noise, spraying a hose or turning on lights just to scare them off or make yourself seem super crazy in the car,” Macartney said.
In busier areas, Macartney advised people to avoid provoking the animals.
“If you’re in a busy area like El Camino Real, you don’t wanna spook that coyote into the traffic,” Macartney said. “Back away and they will find their own place to hide.”
To report a coyote sighting in Mountain View, visit tinyurl.com/MVcoyote; in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, visit tinyurl.com/LAcoyote.
