Coexisting with the wildlife here

Social media is regularly erupting with posts of possible wild animal sightings in and around our neighborhoods. Every week, it seems, a resident is posting a photo or a video of a mountain lion, bobcat, fox or coyote roaming near their house or street. Some posts warn neighbors to bring their animals inside and other posts are asking whether the animal really is a lion, bobcat, coyote or fox. As snakes soon come out of hibernation, expect to see many posts for the next several months on whether the snake is a rattler or a gopher snake. "Placer County is home to lots of wildlife, from raccoons and squirrels to bears and mountain lions, according to Placer County's website. And coyotes and bobcats are frequently sighted throughout Lincoln Hills and, on occasion, mountain lions, according to Sun City Lincoln Hills Neighborhood Watch.org. Popular social media postings eliciting a lot of comments are about coyotes near or in our neighborhoods eating something that can't be determined from looking at the video or photo. Online replies are split between residents worried about their cats and dogs becoming the coyote's next meal and other residents being sympathetic about the coyotes forced to search for food outside their habitats for survival. Coyotes are part of the Canidae family, which includes wolves, dogs and foxes. Coyotes weigh from 20 to 50 pounds. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, "the principal reasons wildlife, including coyotes, ventures into populated areas is to search for food, water or shelter. Human-coyote interactions are on the rise for many reasons, including increased urbanization, availability of food and water sources, and access to attractants such as pet food, human food, pets and small livestock. Increased interactions can lead to human-coyote bites, pet loss (depredation) and disease transmission concerns." The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Keep Me Wild: Coyote website at wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Coyote offers great tips for living safely with coyotes and recreating safely when coyotes are present. The number of reported conflicts between humans and coyotes has increased in California, because wildlife has become adaptable to urban living. "Almost all human-wildlife conflicts in California are rooted in people inadvertently or purposefully attracting them by providing a food source," California Department of Fish and Wildlife information officer Peter Tira said this week. "As wildlife becomes accustomed to human-sourced food and becomes more comfortable around neighborhoods and people, their behavior can become bolder and more aggressive, particularly with coyotes," Tira said. "We lose pet dogs and cats to coyotes routinely somewhere in the state; it's a widespread problem. They're coming into these populated communities with pets because of access to food." This is not a new problem for us. Back on July 22, 2020, Rocklin Police Department posted on Facebook: "Coyote sightings are on the rise in #Rocklin. Coyotes are naturally fearful of humans and are permanent residents of our area, however, they may lose caution and fear if they have access to human food or garbage." That post elicited responses about coyotes being part of nature to coyotes eating a pet cat. This problem with wildlife in our neighborhoods can easily be mitigated, however, if neighbors work together to make their area uninviting to coyotes and all other wildlife. That means not leaving garbage or pet food outside, not feeding them and making sure your landscaping doesn't provide ample food for them (such as bird feeders, which attract rodents, which in turn attract coyotes). "Don't leave your pet unattended if coyotes are around," Tira said. "Feed your pets indoors. Keep them in at night. Be super-vigilant. Conflicts can escalate so prevention is always the best measure." UC Integrated Pest Management also has some good advice: "When it reaches the point where pets are being attacked or coyotes are seen in neighborhoods in early morning or late afternoon, area-wide corrective actions are recommended to prevent an escalation to attacks on humans. If coyotes are seen near your home, teach your children to identify them, recognize the potential for danger and know what to do if they come in contact with a coyote." We sometimes forget that the wildlife were here years before we moved to this area. We have pushed out the wildlife by building our housing developments, commercial buildings, shopping centers, office parks and roads. With the drought pushing animals closer to us and more infrastructure being added to support future residents, we have to respect and understand the wildlife around us. For prevention tips or to report a wildlife encounter, go online to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife page at wildlife.ca.gov.