Coyotes have been active in the College Park West area of the city, District Two Councilman David Sloan recently confirmed. One pet was recently attacked in the Seal Beach neighborhood.
However, according to the manager for Long Beach Animal Care Services, coyote activity so far this year is the same as last year.
“I haven’t heard of any special issues in College Park West specifically,” said Ted Stevens, Animal Care Services manager.
“I was made aware of a pet attack in that area within the past couple weeks,” he said.
“As far as overall statistics so far this year, they are almost identical to last year,” Stevens said.
There have been five more reported coyotes sightings in the City of Seal Beach than last year.
In 2015:
1—Suspected pet attack
1—Pet attack
25—Sightings
In 2014:
1—Pet attack
20—Sightings
1—Stalking
“Of note … in 2014 the one pet attack, 12 sightings and one stalking all occurred in March and April,” Stevens said.
“In 2015 there has been one pet attack and five sightings in March and April,” Stevens said.
“The last thing I will add is that it is spring time and with the warmer weather and the fact that it is pup season for the coyotes, the coyote activity will start to increase,” Stevens said.
Assistant City Manager Patrick Gallegos, who is in charge of the city’s coyote management, said staff was getting education materials ready for residents.
He said there was more coyote activity throughout Orange County.
Gallegos said that as the drought goes on, there will be fewer opportunities for coyotes to find prey. He said coyotes, like us, prefer to expend the least amount of energy.
Gallegos advocates consistent “hazing,” which has been defined as behavior designed to re-instill a fear of humans in coyotes.
Gallegos said it was hard to get the pubic to consistently haze coyotes.
Hazing is specifically part of the Seal Beach Coyote Management Plan, which was drawn up with input from the Humane Society of the United States.
Gallegos said the intent of hazing is not to hurt the animals, but to scare them off. He said the city was working to make sure that residents know how to haze coyotes. Gallegos said he grew up in the desert. He said coyotes were intelligent animals that adapt quickly and coyotes would adapt to whatever people throw at them.
According to Gallegos, it isn’t possible to compare Seal Beach coyote activity with coyote activity in other communities. Even within Seal Beach, coyotes behave differently in different areas.
“We’ll be dealing with this for some time,” he said.
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