Hi Seal Beach,
If you’ve stopped by the Seal Beach Police Department lobby lately, you might have noticed something new on the counter—small cowbells. No, we’re not starting a marching band. These cowbells are part of our ongoing effort to help residents live safely alongside our neighborhood coyotes, and we’re giving them away for free.
So why cowbells? It all comes down to a technique called hazing. Hazing doesn’t mean harming an animal—it means scaring it in a safe way so it learns to keep its distance from people. Coyotes are naturally wary of humans, but when they lose that fear because they’re being fed or left undisturbed, that’s when we start to see problems. A sudden noise—like the clang of a cowbell—reminds them that people are not to be approached. The goal is to reinforce their natural behavior and keep that healthy boundary between coyotes and humans.
We’ve been fortunate to work closely with Dr. Ted Stankowich, a professor from Cal State Long Beach, who runs the Mammal Lab and is one of the nation’s leading experts on urban coyotes. Dr. Stankowich has presented to our City Council and confirmed what we’ve seen firsthand: coyotes are here to stay. They’re part of the Southern California landscape, and while we can’t eliminate them, we can absolutely learn to live with each other.
That’s why we encourage you to use our online Coyote Portal at www.sealbeachca.gov/coyote. There, you’ll find more information on coexistence, and you can also report coyote sightings directly to our Animal Control Officers. Those reports help us track p atterns and better understand when and where coyotes are most active.
What else can you do? Never feed wildlife—directly or indirectly. That means securing your trash cans, keeping pet food indoors, and cleaning up fallen fruit in your yard. If you’re walking your dog, keep them leashed and close by. And if you see a coyote in your neighborhood, don’t ignore it—use hazing techniques like shouting, waving your arms, or yes, ringing one of our cowbells. The more consistent we are as a community, the more effective it becomes.
Seal Beach is a place where people care about each other, and that same spirit extends to how we handle the wildlife that shares our neighborhoods. Together, we can keep our coyotes wild, our community safe, and our quality of life high.
Stop by the Police Department at 911 Seal Beach Boulevard during business hours and grab a cowbell for yourself. We promise, no Will Ferrell impersonations required.
Keep your questions coming, Seal Beach! Email us at askacop@sealbeachca.gov today.
