By Khalida Sarwari
Looking out on his back yard one day last month, Michael Metz saw a scene that startled and terrified him: three coyotes surrounding his 100-pound dog. He did what any responsible dog owner would do. He immediately ran out, chased the coyotes away and brought his dog indoors.
The coyotes left Metz and his dog alone, but not for long. A few days later, Metz’s daughter was walking the family dog and again, a pack of coyotes emerged snarling at her and the dog, prompting the girl to run home. His concern growing, Metz made flyers warning his neighbors about the coyote sightings and left them in his neighbors’ mailbox.
The incidents have taken place in the residential areas between West Valley College and Highway 9, according to Metz.
“What I’ve discovered is that there’s been a population explosion of coyotes that are threatening people and are a real danger to the general livelihood around here,” he said.
The feedback he’s received from his neighbors indicates they’ve had similar experiences. One woman told Metz she was jogging around the neighborhood when she suddenly realized she was being stalked by a pack of coyotes and immediately called her husband. Another woman told him her beagle had been attacked. There have been reports of cats and chickens being killed, he said.
“Last Sunday morning, a jogger came running by with his dog, and 10 seconds later I hear him screaming and just chaos … coyotes snarling. They looked like they were going to attack him and his dog,” said Metz.
In the past year and a half there appears to have been a spike in the number of coyote sightings, Metz said, adding that he has called the county vector control and county Supervisor Joe Simitian, but so far they haven’t taken action.
“We have a serious problem on our hands,” he said. “This is not cute wildlife we can pet with our hands; this is a dangerous animal loose on the streets of Saratoga. I’m concerned because we’re going to have a tragic incident.”
According to Russ Parman, acting district manager for the Santa Clara County Vector Control, there have been about 10 reports of coyote sightings and attacks, with the last one made on June 14. There have also been several reports of coyote sightings from folks in South San Jose.
Parman could not confirm any animal injuries or deaths, but said there have been no reports of injuries or deaths to humans.
Parman said his agency will likely proceed with a trapping program early this week, once it receives approval from the county executive’s office. The trapping program uses three methods, beginning with the “box trap,” and if that proves unsuccessful, using a snare to trap the animals by their leg. The last resort is the “soft catch padded leg hold trap,” a method used to trap the coyote by its foot.
“That’s the most effective, but we start off with the most conservative measures first,” Parman said.
The program takes about three to four weeks to complete.
Last week, the city released a memo acknowledging the sighting reports and explaining that “during this late spring season, the female coyote has recently given birth to a litter size of approximately six pups and must hunt for food to feed them.”
According to the city, urban sprawl and habitat encroachment are the reasons behind increased wild animal sightings. The loss of open space and natural habitat has also decreased territories for wild animals to live and has disrupted predator-prey cycles.
Parman theorized that as coyotes in rural areas become acclimated to urban life, they become bolder in their behavior. In some parts of the country there even have been attacks on humans, he said. In this case, it appears to be a family of coyotes and many of the sightings have been during the day, another indication that they’ve become fearless.
“All I’ve seen indicates we have coyotes that are getting very bold with people,” said Parman. “This is the phase when we go in and start getting rid of those coyotes.”
In the meantime, he recommended taking precautions, such as keeping small pets and small children indoors. The smaller or more vulnerable the prey, the more likely that coyotes will go after them, Parman said.
Coyotes thrive on food sources usually found in residential areas including unsecured waste, rodents attracted to bird feeders and pet food left outside.
Coyotes are nocturnal animals that resemble medium-size dogs, have a reddish coat and a bushy tail with a black tip. If faced with a coyote, it’s best to practice what is known as hazing, a method to make the animal as uncomfortable as possible.
“Making lots of noise, spraying with water, anything you can do to make that coyote not enjoy his visit with you,” said Parman.
The city also offered tips in the event of an encounter with a coyote, such as to never feed or attempt to “tame” a coyote, avoid direct eye contact, and if followed by a coyote, make loud noises and make yourself look big, and if that fails, to throw rocks. Residents are discouraged from turning their back or running from a coyote and instead should attempt to leave the area calmly.
Coyotes are not considered a disease threat, as outbreaks of rabies in coyotes are rare, according to the city.
Finally, residents are encouraged to report their sighting by calling vector control at 408.918.4700.
“It’s so very helpful for people to report their observations to us,” Parman said. “This is all the material we use to put a picture together of what’s going on out there.”
For more information about coexisting with coyotes, visitwcsv.org/education/species/coyote/#Coexist.
Coyotes are presenting a threat in at least one Saratoga neighborhood
