By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
Curious animals by nature, coyotes in Orange County have recently been increasingly interested in investigating the urban areas of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, occasionally daring to have a close encounter with a human.
Multiple coyote sightings and a few too-close-for-comfort interactions have been recently reported, according to Orange County Animal Services.
Animal services and the Wildlife Resource Commission said there seems to be a slight increase in reports from the more populated, urban areas of the county.
“There are several neighborhoods in the area of Hogan Farms that have had a number of sightings over the last four to six weeks that has raised a number of concerns there,†said Bob Marotto, Orange County Animal Services director.
However, Wildlife Resource Commission Enforcement Officer Forrest Orr said the higher numbers of reports from urban areas could be attributed to the larger population there.
“Where the higher populations of people are we get more reports, simply because there are more people to see coyotes,†Orr said.
Although Marotto and Orr both said coyote sightings aren’t unusual, some of the reports in which coyotes come in close proximity to humans are more rare.
One report from Carrboro stated that a coyote trailed behind a resident and the dog he was walking.
Reports such as this, where coyotes approach humans, going against their natural tendencies to be shy creatures that want to avoid human contact, draw the greatest amount of concern from wildlife officials, since these types of reports mean coyotes are becoming habituated to humans, Marotto said.
As a highly adaptable animal, coyotes survive by finding niches in their surrounding environment and using their adaptive abilities to discover convenient food and comfortable shelter, he added. In urban environments, these comforts, especially food, come in abundance.
Officials are encouraging people not to leave food outside for animals such as dogs and cats and not to leave out food scraps or loose trash, as this entices coyotes. Additionally, Orr is encouraging residents to close up spaces underneath houses or any open spaces or shelters where coyotes might try to sleep.
“Where it can find food and shelter is where it is going to stay,†Orr said. “It’s looking for somewhere to make itself the most comfortable.â€
In addition to removing comforts for coyotes, officials are encouraging residents who encounter coyotes to make loud noises such as clapping, yelling or stomping to scare off the animal.
Marotto said he is also asking residents to keep their dogs on leashes, as coyotes tend to be curious of dogs, especially small dogs, and have been known to attack them.
“It is important for humans to be mindful of what they are doing so they don’t entice or encourage or reinforce behaviors by coyotes that are of concern for good reason,†he said.
Marotto said while there may be a spike in coyote reports in urban areas of the county, it isn’t a problem that is unique to this area.
“This is not unique to the township of Chapel Hill, it is not unique to Orange County and it is not unique to North Carolina,†Marotto said, adding that he previously worked in Minneapolis, where it was not uncommon for officers to see coyotes roaming the city streets at night.
The presence of coyotes in human habitats, suburban communities and even urban spaces has become increasingly commonplace over the last decade, he said.
Despite the increased sightings and habituation of coyotes, Orr stressed that they are usually just curious and don’t pose a threat.
“To my knowledge, there have been no known reports of anybody ever being attacked by a coyote in North Carolina,†Orr said.
Marotto encourages rural and urban residents to report to either animal services or a wildlife officer if they have an encounter with a coyote; however, if a resident sees a coyote without incident, he said, it’s not necessary to call.