Seal Beach has not had significant calls about coyote activity, according to the police official in charge of the city’s Animal Control program. However, Seal Beach Police Support Services Capt. Nick Nicholas encouraged the public to avoid attracting coyotes in a May 7 email. Instead, he advised the public to haze them.
Capt. Nicholas’s duties include animal control in Seal Beach.
“While we have received some coyote sighting reports through the City’s web portal and our Animal Control voicemail line, we have not had any significant calls involving coyotes,” wrote Nicholas in a May 7 email.
“After checking with our Animal Control Officers, the activity being reported appears to be regular urban coyote activity and has not had any significant impact on our residents,” Nicholas wrote.
“Residents should never feed coyotes, should secure trash, remove pet food and water from outside, pick up fallen fruit, keep cats indoors, keep dogs on a short leash, and avoid leaving small pets unattended outdoors. If a coyote is seen, residents should not run,” Nicholas wrote.
“Instead, they should use hazing techniques by making themselves big and loud, waving their arms, clapping, shouting, stomping, using a whistle or air horn, or tossing small non-harmful objects near the coyote until it fully leaves the area,” Nicholas wrote.
“Our hazing efforts appear to be effective, and the goal is to reinforce a coyote’s natural fear of people. The Police Department also has SBPD Animal Control cowbells available for residents at the Police Department lobby, which can be used as a simple hazing tool. Residents can continue reporting routine coyote activity through the City’s coyote reporting portal, and should call 911 for life-or-death emergencies only,” Nicholas wrote.
