Beware the coyote

Over the last 200 years, as wolves disappeared from the landscape, coyotes expanded their range north and east to fill the vacated niche. Coyotes now range over the entire continental United States.
I've always admired coyotes. Historically, a taste for livestock made them targets for farmers and ranchers, but they've thwarted all attempts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to destroy them. Though predator control programs kill thousands of coyotes annually, they thrive.
One reason coyotes seem unfazed by control efforts is that they don't mind neighbors. They learn to stay out of rifle range, they become trap-shy, and they adapt well to suburban life. As people populate the countryside, coyotes gain protection and learn to eat other easy-to-kill prey -- pets.
Seldom seen
Despite their widespread abundance, coyotes are seldom seen. You might catch a glimpse of one crossing a highway in front of the headlights, but they remain elusive. So I was thrilled a few nights ago when I heard one yip and howl on a neighboring ridge. It was a wild sound I'd not heard since I lived in Arizona in the mid-1970s.
But the thrill had just begun. Within minutes, another coyote joined the serenade, and then another. Soon an entire pack was howling at the crescent moon. There were at least six different voices and maybe as many as eight. Perhaps they had run down a deer, or maybe a dog, and the chorus was just the coyote dinner bell.
The thought of coyotes killing pets sent a chill down my spine. Though Western coyotes routinely eat pets in suburban areas, I'd never faced the threat myself. My 15-pound terrier mutt would be just a tasty hors d'oeuvre for even a single coyote. And my 95-pound yellow Lab might be easily lured away by irresistible sounds and scents that tickle her imagination. These dogs are family, so I made them a promise: no more unsupervised late-night pit stops. From now on, I'll watch from the porch as they do their business. Fortunately, neither dog enjoys chilly night air, so they're quick to return to their bed by the wood stove.
I suspect most folks don't think about coyotes until they show up in the back yard. Out of sight, out of mind. Some lose a dog or cat before they even realize coyotes are present. Believe me, they're there, and you've been warned.
Control efforts
Though persecuted for decades to limit livestock losses, control efforts have succeeded only in breeding a race of super-wily coyotes. They trust nothing associated with man.
One reason coyotes have thrived in the face of relentless predator control efforts is their reproductive response to declining population size. Unlike many animals, which disappear quickly when a population reaches a certain lower threshold, coyotes increase their reproductive rate as their population declines.
Coyotes average four or five pups per litter, but when populations are low, litter size jumps to seven. When populations rebound to normal levels, litter size drops to four. Food supply also affects reproduction. When prey is abundant, coyotes make more pups.
Interesting natural history, but what good are they? Like many large carnivores, coyotes are far more than predators that terrorize prey.
Biologists in North Dakota have found that the presence of coyotes actually increases the nesting success of ducks. The northern prairies of North America produce most of the continent's waterfowl. Unfortunately predation, mostly by red foxes, keeps nest success low. Where red foxes were common, duck nest success was only 17 percent. Where coyotes were common, foxes were scarce, and duck nest success almost doubled to 32 percent.
Coyotes do not tolerate foxes. Whether they drive them out of an area or actually kill them is unclear. The practical result, however, is that where coyotes occurred, fox populations declined. So when coyotes dominate an area, duck nest success booms.
The lesson here is that nature is more complex than a superficial glimpse might suggest. Predators, though often viewed as blood-thirsty killers, can actually add structure and diversity to interconnected animal communities.
sshalaway@aol.com