An excellent, new publication dealing with urban coyotes is now available, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. Urban Coyote Ecology and Management-The Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project documents research with radio-collared coyotes in Chicago and its suburbs by Dr. Stanley Gehrt of Ohio State University (OSU) and his graduate students.

With coyotes becoming increasingly abundant in many cities throughout the country, Gehrt and his students initiated study in 2000 to examine the movements, social behavior, diets, survival rates and other ecological factors of these new urbanites. Through February 2006, they captured 253 coyotes in Cook County and placed radio collars on 175 of them. More than 30,000 locations were documented for the instrumented animals.

The researchers found that, similar to coyotes in rural landscapes, urban coyotes maintain territories as groups, which typically involve five or six adults and their pups. Urban territories, averaging about three square miles, tend to be smaller than those of rural coyotes. The urban territories do not appear to overlap, indicating defense of territorial boundaries from other coyote groups. In addition to resident groups, urban coyote numbers also include solitary animals that have left packs and seek to join groups or create their own territories. These solitary males or females, usually six months to two years of age, have extensive home ranges, averaging 25 square miles.

The research has shown that survival for urban/suburban coyotes is slightly higher than for those in the countryside. The city dwellers were shown to have a 60-percent chance of surviving for a year. Most, however, die before they reach age two. Roadkills are by far the most common mortality cause, accounting for 50-70 percent of deaths. Other mortality factors included shooting, malnutrition and disease. Sarcoptic mange was identified as the most common disease-related mortality.

The research, supported primarily by Cook Country Animal Control, with special support by the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and the Forest Preserve District of Cook Country, has been able to discredit several urban coyote myths. One, for example, is the common perception that urban coyotes frequently prey on domestic cats. Another is that these coyotes depend on human sources of food (garbage, pet food). Examining more than 1,400 coyote scats, the investigators found that small rodents were the most common food item (occurring in 42 percent of the scats), followed by fruit (23 percent), deer (22 percent) and rabbit (18 percent). Domestic cat remains were found in only 1.3 percent of the scats, and human garbage or pet food occurred in merely 1.9 percent.

Another disproved misconception is that urban coyotes are a significant source of conflict or danger for humans. During the course of the study, 5 (3 percent) of the 175 radio-collared coyotes were considered nuisance animals and, consequently, were removed from the area. Furthermore, the study related that there has never been a documented case of a coyote biting a human in Cook County. By comparison, Cook County typically records 2,000-3,000 dog bites annually, with some human fatalities.

It appears that coyotes in urban landscapes can be more of an asset than a liability. Although coyotes rarely kill adult deer or take enough Canada geese to impact those urban wildlife numbers significantly, their predation on fawns and depredation of goose nests may help slow the increases of those mainly, otherwise unchecked populations.

Urban Coyote Ecology and Management-OSU Bulletin No. 929-concludes with a number of management options and observations based on the study to date. It is an excellent reference on urban wildlife management issues. Copies can be obtained by contacting BUCKEYE PUBLICATIONS (pubs@ag.osu.edu, 614-292-1607) or a .pdf can be downloaded at: http://ohioline.osu.edu/b929/pdf/b929.pdf. (pmr)