Coyote Active Season
If you have been seeing or hearing more coyotes lately, you are not alone. Late January through early March is the mating season for coyotes in Arizona. As they are more active during this time, Tucson Wildlife Center would like to remind the public to take steps to prevent conflicts and to enjoy their iconic howls as sounds of the “old west.”
- Never intentionally feed coyotes and remove any sources of food such as garbage, pet food, or compost. Readily available food can lure coyotes from the wild into neighborhoods, where they tend to get into trouble.
- Keep unattended pets indoors. Like most animals, coyotes are territorial animals. They live in family groups known as packs. Coyotes cannot easily distinguish your large dog from an intruding coyote and small dogs and cats may be viewed as prey.
- Always have your dogs on a leash when out walking, so they cannot chase any wild animal.
- If you have an uncomfortably close encounter with a coyote, yell or clap your hands to scare the animal away, then pick up your small pet and walk away.
It is important to note that the presence of a coyote is not a cause to be overly concerned. When you hear the whole pack yipping in one spot, it is the greeting and celebration of the pack getting back together after a period of being separated. Negative encounters with coyotes are rare, and attacks on people are even more rare. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call Tucson Wildlife Center to speak with one of our wildlife specialists.
If you would like to help Tucson Wildlife Center in its mission to help wild animals, please click the donate button below.
Another way you can contribute is to visit our “wish list” on Amazon by clicking on the Amazon Wish List button below. We appreciate it, as will all the wild animals in our care!
