Archivos de diario de enero 2016

05 de enero de 2016

REMINDER: Coyote Habituation

Naturally, coyotes are very skittish and weary creatures that will avoid human contact by either running away when encountered and/or restricting their activities to nocturnal hours. In some circumstances however, often in urban and suburban environments, coyotes may lose their innate fear of humans, also known as "habituation". Habituation may result from food attractants in backyards or neighborhoods (such as pet food, unsecured garbage, fallen fruit, etc.) and/or repeated exposure to humans without negative reinforcement. A coyote may appear to be habituated or exhibiting bold behavior if it is observed doing things such as languishing in parks during the daytime in close proximity to humans, following humans and their pets, or not running away upon encountering people. These bold behaviors associated with habituation are what can ultimately lead to human-coyote conflicts in urban areas. In order to PROACTIVELY manage coyote behavior for a safe, sustainable, and long-term coexistence with our wild urban neighbors it is of the upmost importance that we all understand how human behavior/actions can reinforce and reshape coyote behavior.

REMEMBER:

  1. Do NOT feed coyotes (directly OR indirectly - pet food left outside, fallen fruit in yard, fallen bird seed, etc.)
  2. Reinforce the fear of humans when encountering a bold or habituated coyote (chase and yell at the coyote, use projectiles - rocks/sticks, use repellents - such as a hose if it's a backyard encounter). For more information on proper hazing techniques view the "Coyote Hazing GUIDELINES"
    http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/wild_neighbors/coyote_hazing.pdf
    and http://county.milwaukee.gov/Coyotes9205.htm

  3. Keep pets on LEASH!

Thank you for your valuable contributions to the Milwaukee County Coyote Watch project!

Publicado el enero 5, 2016 06:45 TARDE por milwaukeecountyparks milwaukeecountyparks | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario