05-20-2007, 04:01 AM
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Coyote sightings more common as migration, development continues
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May 16, 2007 - With the abundance of natural resources still left in the lakes area, it's not much of a surprise that coyotes (Canis Iatrans) make western Oakland County their home. However, such a presence was not always the case in lakes area communities. Though coyotes — which are close relatives of dogs and wolves — tend to be most prevalent in the Upper Peninsula and the northern part of the Lower Peninsula, they have naturally migrated southward, eventually making their way into western Oakland County.
"They have moved in naturally," said Valerie Frawley, a wildlife technician for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "Coyotes are abundant throughout Michigan."
Bob Boyd, owner of Critter Control in Milford, said the coyote population is not increasing, despite some residents contention to the contrary. Because their natural habitat is being "chopped up" for houses, the coyotes are becoming more visible, according to Boyd.
"That's all it is," he said. "It makes them more visible."
David Bostick, bear and fur bearer specialist for the DNR, said coyotes are becoming more readily reported in southern Michigan due to the increased human population in that region of the state.
"They showed up in Michigan first in the (Upper Peninsula) in the 1920s or 1930s, depending on who you believe, and didn't start being reportedly regularly in southern Michigan until 1970," he said. "I'm assuming we had a few before (1970). One of the things that I think has to do with it is that coyotes are primarily open-country or brush-field kind of animals. They are not really deep forest animals. They do really well in habitats that have small wood lots, agricultural land, and suburban areas kind of mixed in together. If you look at how southern Michigan has developed over the last 30 or 40 years, we've essentially created ideal habitat for them."
Boyd's company receives a few calls when there are human-coyote interactions. Boyd also said it's rare that coyotes attack domesticated pets, although many area residents report otherwise.
"I'm not defending the coyotes, but they really are responsible for a lot less than people believe," Boyd said.
Local police and municipal officials say they occasionally receive calls about coyote sightings and complaints about the animals, but add that coyotes pose little to no threat to people.
"People should not feel concerned about their safety," said Marshall Labadie, environmental director for West Bloomfield Township. "I've never heard of them attacking a person in Michigan."
However, the DNR warns people that coyote-human interaction should be kept to a minimum. According to the DNR, it's best for coyotes to continue to fear humans because if the animals become accustomed to people, they present a human safety risk.
The following steps can be taken to minimize interaction with coyotes, according to the DNR:
• Never approach or touch a coyote;
• Never intentionally feed a coyote;
• Eliminate all outside food sources, especially pet foods;
• Put garbage out on the morning of collection day;
• Clear out wood and brush piles; they are good habitat for rats and mice and may attract coyotes;
• Good husbandry practices, guard animals, and coyote control measures can help protect livestock;
• Don't allow pets to roam free when coyotes are present — consider keeping pets indoors or accompany them outside.
Preferring to feast on small mammals like mice, voles, shrews, rabbits, and squirrels, coyotes fill out their diet by consuming insects, fruits, berries, birds, frogs, snakes, plants and seeds, according to the DNR.
Coyotes also rely on deer carrion in areas where deer have high concentrations and die from vehicular accidents and natural causes. Small dogs and cats which are unattended are also part of the coyote diet if the opportunity to catch them arises. Coyotes generally feed at night.
According to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, coyotes — which are hunted by humans, gray wolves, and mountain lions — can range from 15.4 pounds to 46.2 pounds and 30 inches to 39 inches in length.
Also noteworthy is that coyotes can run up to 65 kilometers-per-hour (about 40 miles per hour) and can jump lengths of up to 4 meters (about 13 feet), according to the zoology museum.
Differentiating a coyote from a medium-sized German Shepherd can be difficult from a distance, according to the DNR. Variations in color are wide, but the upper body of the animal is a yellowish hue of gray, and the throat and belly are generally white-to-cream in color.
Domestic dogs typically have floppy and drooping ears, while those of a coyote — which generally have a bushy, black-tipped tail carried below their back when running — are pointed and erect. Coyotes are smaller than the more aggressive wolves.
Coyotes have communication schemes which not only delineate territory and warn of other coyotes, but also serve as almost a scolding for pups, according to the DNR's Bostick.
"(The other reason for howling) is that it just seems to be kind of a social thing with them," he said. "It doesn't indicate aggressiveness, typically. I've heard some people say (coyotes) howl when they are chasing things. They may do that occasionally, but typically coyote pack howling is a social or territorial kind of thing. Generally speaking, if a coyote is being aggressive, it's not too much different than with a dog — you'll see some hairs up on the back of the head and back of the neck, that kind of thing. A lot of times the ears will be forward. Yipping can mean a lot of different things. It's done quite a bit between parents and pups. It's sort of a friendly warning, so to speak, to the pups."
Coyote packs differ from wolf packs in that they are typically more familial in nature. For example, a family of coyotes may band together for as much as a year, though wolves tend to assemble a hierarchy of alpha pairs and subordinate pairs, regardless of parental bonds or affiliation.
"Coyotes are a little bit different in that they don't have an alpha pair, so to speak," Bostick said. "However, the last year's (coyote) pups will stay with (their parents) for a fairly long time. Most of them will disperse and leave their parents' home territory in the early winter after the spring when they were born. However, some of them will carry over and stay with the parents through the following spring."
By December of each year, people may have a hard time differentiating adult coyotes from their pups, in terms of their size. Four or five coyotes grouped together will likely be two adults and the survivors of last year's litter of pups, according to Bostick.
With a lifespan between six and eight years in the wild, coyotes sometimes can succumb to disease, predators and starvation, as well as hunting and vehicle collisions. The zoology museum reports that coyotes have been known to live a maximum of 10 years in the wild, and up to 18 years in captivity.
Between 50 percent and 70 percent of young coyotes don't reach adulthood, and between 30 percent and 50 percent of adults die off every year. However, what coyotes lack in life expectancy they make up for by breeding at young ages and producing larger litters, according to the DNR.
Bostick said recent survey results indicated that Michigan hunters and trappers statewide harvested about 25,000 coyotes last year, meaning that they were taken by hunters or trappers.
"Coyotes are not rare, endangered, or even uncommon," Bostick said. "They are quite common."
Figures on how many coyotes are present in Oakland County or the southeast Michigan region weren't available because the DNR's surveys don't determine the population of animals which are present in large numbers, such as coyotes, raccoons or squirrels, according to Bostick.
"My perception is that coyotes in southern Michigan are still less numerous than they are Up North," he said. "However, we get more complaints from southern Michigan, and that's a function of the fact that there are more people in southern Michigan to run afoul of them."
The DNR's Frawley said coyotes are most often spotted during their breeding season in Michigan, which runs from mid-January through March.
"During certain times of the year, we get more reports about coyotes," she said. "That typically occurs during the breeding season, which is between January and March. That's just because they are more active during that time. I think that's just the time when people see them."
By the time autumn comes around, young coyotes — pups — typically leave home to establish home ranges of their own, sometimes located in urban areas.
Though female coyotes may remain with a mate for a number of years, they are not monogamous animals, according to the zoology museum. They usually breed once each year, and can have between one and 19 pups, though the average is 5.7. Coyotes, both male and female, are sexually or reproductively mature by nine or 10 months of age.
According to the zoology museum's web site, coyotes are less likely to form in packs than wolves. Hunting is usually done by individual coyotes, in pairs or in family units, contingent upon prey availability. Though coyotes are nocturnal, they can sometimes be seen during the day.
Orchard Lake Police Chief Fred Rosenau said that it's been "quite awhile" since the department has received any reports of coyotes in the community, and that some residents have expressed concerns, though the majority of Orchard Lake residents haven't.
In West Bloomfield last winter, Labadie received some photos taken on Upper Straits Lake in which a deer, which had partially fallen through the ice, was attacked by coyotes. He said there have been "a handful" of calls expressing concerns and/or sightings of coyotes.
"In West Bloomfield, we probably have 5,000 to 6,000 acres of protected area, which is conducive to housing certain creatures or animals," Labadie said. "That, along with suburban activities with trash and small animals, (means) we're probably a good spot for (coyotes), with all the water, streams, and changing topography for burrowing and caves."
Labadie said that if anyone spots a coyote, they are welcome to call the township and staff will follow up on the incident.
Highland Township Supervisor Triscia Pilchowski said the Oakland County Sheriff's Department Highland Substation hasn't received any complaints about coyotes, but her office received a call last week. The complainant was referred to animal control, according to Pilchowski.
"I've been here for 20 years and we used to get those calls more frequently back then because they would be from people who had just moved out to the area and weren't so familiar with it," she said. "We still see it here in Highland Township, but (people) have lived here for so long, they know (coyotes) are there."
Milford Township Supervisor Don Green said there are sightings of coyotes in Milford "all the time," but there have been no complaints lodge with township officials because people make the complaints to other agencies.
Tim Payne, southeast Michigan wildlife management unit supervisor for the DNR, didn't return a call seeking comment.
A representative from White Lake Township couldn't be reached for comment prior to press time.
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[/url][/center] Coyote sightings more common as migration, development continues
[url "http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/1editorialtablebody.lasso?-token.searchtype=authorroutine&-token.lpsearchstring=Kirk%20Pinho&-nothing"]Kirk Pinho[/url]
May 16, 2007 - With the abundance of natural resources still left in the lakes area, it's not much of a surprise that coyotes (Canis Iatrans) make western Oakland County their home. However, such a presence was not always the case in lakes area communities. Though coyotes — which are close relatives of dogs and wolves — tend to be most prevalent in the Upper Peninsula and the northern part of the Lower Peninsula, they have naturally migrated southward, eventually making their way into western Oakland County. "They have moved in naturally," said Valerie Frawley, a wildlife technician for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "Coyotes are abundant throughout Michigan."
Bob Boyd, owner of Critter Control in Milford, said the coyote population is not increasing, despite some residents contention to the contrary. Because their natural habitat is being "chopped up" for houses, the coyotes are becoming more visible, according to Boyd.
"That's all it is," he said. "It makes them more visible."
David Bostick, bear and fur bearer specialist for the DNR, said coyotes are becoming more readily reported in southern Michigan due to the increased human population in that region of the state.
"They showed up in Michigan first in the (Upper Peninsula) in the 1920s or 1930s, depending on who you believe, and didn't start being reportedly regularly in southern Michigan until 1970," he said. "I'm assuming we had a few before (1970). One of the things that I think has to do with it is that coyotes are primarily open-country or brush-field kind of animals. They are not really deep forest animals. They do really well in habitats that have small wood lots, agricultural land, and suburban areas kind of mixed in together. If you look at how southern Michigan has developed over the last 30 or 40 years, we've essentially created ideal habitat for them."
Boyd's company receives a few calls when there are human-coyote interactions. Boyd also said it's rare that coyotes attack domesticated pets, although many area residents report otherwise.
"I'm not defending the coyotes, but they really are responsible for a lot less than people believe," Boyd said.
Local police and municipal officials say they occasionally receive calls about coyote sightings and complaints about the animals, but add that coyotes pose little to no threat to people.
"People should not feel concerned about their safety," said Marshall Labadie, environmental director for West Bloomfield Township. "I've never heard of them attacking a person in Michigan."
However, the DNR warns people that coyote-human interaction should be kept to a minimum. According to the DNR, it's best for coyotes to continue to fear humans because if the animals become accustomed to people, they present a human safety risk.
The following steps can be taken to minimize interaction with coyotes, according to the DNR:
• Never approach or touch a coyote;
• Never intentionally feed a coyote;
• Eliminate all outside food sources, especially pet foods;
• Put garbage out on the morning of collection day;
• Clear out wood and brush piles; they are good habitat for rats and mice and may attract coyotes;
• Good husbandry practices, guard animals, and coyote control measures can help protect livestock;
• Don't allow pets to roam free when coyotes are present — consider keeping pets indoors or accompany them outside.
Preferring to feast on small mammals like mice, voles, shrews, rabbits, and squirrels, coyotes fill out their diet by consuming insects, fruits, berries, birds, frogs, snakes, plants and seeds, according to the DNR.
Coyotes also rely on deer carrion in areas where deer have high concentrations and die from vehicular accidents and natural causes. Small dogs and cats which are unattended are also part of the coyote diet if the opportunity to catch them arises. Coyotes generally feed at night.
According to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, coyotes — which are hunted by humans, gray wolves, and mountain lions — can range from 15.4 pounds to 46.2 pounds and 30 inches to 39 inches in length.
Also noteworthy is that coyotes can run up to 65 kilometers-per-hour (about 40 miles per hour) and can jump lengths of up to 4 meters (about 13 feet), according to the zoology museum.
Differentiating a coyote from a medium-sized German Shepherd can be difficult from a distance, according to the DNR. Variations in color are wide, but the upper body of the animal is a yellowish hue of gray, and the throat and belly are generally white-to-cream in color.
Domestic dogs typically have floppy and drooping ears, while those of a coyote — which generally have a bushy, black-tipped tail carried below their back when running — are pointed and erect. Coyotes are smaller than the more aggressive wolves.
Coyotes have communication schemes which not only delineate territory and warn of other coyotes, but also serve as almost a scolding for pups, according to the DNR's Bostick.
"(The other reason for howling) is that it just seems to be kind of a social thing with them," he said. "It doesn't indicate aggressiveness, typically. I've heard some people say (coyotes) howl when they are chasing things. They may do that occasionally, but typically coyote pack howling is a social or territorial kind of thing. Generally speaking, if a coyote is being aggressive, it's not too much different than with a dog — you'll see some hairs up on the back of the head and back of the neck, that kind of thing. A lot of times the ears will be forward. Yipping can mean a lot of different things. It's done quite a bit between parents and pups. It's sort of a friendly warning, so to speak, to the pups."
Coyote packs differ from wolf packs in that they are typically more familial in nature. For example, a family of coyotes may band together for as much as a year, though wolves tend to assemble a hierarchy of alpha pairs and subordinate pairs, regardless of parental bonds or affiliation.
"Coyotes are a little bit different in that they don't have an alpha pair, so to speak," Bostick said. "However, the last year's (coyote) pups will stay with (their parents) for a fairly long time. Most of them will disperse and leave their parents' home territory in the early winter after the spring when they were born. However, some of them will carry over and stay with the parents through the following spring."
By December of each year, people may have a hard time differentiating adult coyotes from their pups, in terms of their size. Four or five coyotes grouped together will likely be two adults and the survivors of last year's litter of pups, according to Bostick.
With a lifespan between six and eight years in the wild, coyotes sometimes can succumb to disease, predators and starvation, as well as hunting and vehicle collisions. The zoology museum reports that coyotes have been known to live a maximum of 10 years in the wild, and up to 18 years in captivity.
Between 50 percent and 70 percent of young coyotes don't reach adulthood, and between 30 percent and 50 percent of adults die off every year. However, what coyotes lack in life expectancy they make up for by breeding at young ages and producing larger litters, according to the DNR.
Bostick said recent survey results indicated that Michigan hunters and trappers statewide harvested about 25,000 coyotes last year, meaning that they were taken by hunters or trappers.
"Coyotes are not rare, endangered, or even uncommon," Bostick said. "They are quite common."
Figures on how many coyotes are present in Oakland County or the southeast Michigan region weren't available because the DNR's surveys don't determine the population of animals which are present in large numbers, such as coyotes, raccoons or squirrels, according to Bostick.
"My perception is that coyotes in southern Michigan are still less numerous than they are Up North," he said. "However, we get more complaints from southern Michigan, and that's a function of the fact that there are more people in southern Michigan to run afoul of them."
The DNR's Frawley said coyotes are most often spotted during their breeding season in Michigan, which runs from mid-January through March.
"During certain times of the year, we get more reports about coyotes," she said. "That typically occurs during the breeding season, which is between January and March. That's just because they are more active during that time. I think that's just the time when people see them."
By the time autumn comes around, young coyotes — pups — typically leave home to establish home ranges of their own, sometimes located in urban areas.
Though female coyotes may remain with a mate for a number of years, they are not monogamous animals, according to the zoology museum. They usually breed once each year, and can have between one and 19 pups, though the average is 5.7. Coyotes, both male and female, are sexually or reproductively mature by nine or 10 months of age.
According to the zoology museum's web site, coyotes are less likely to form in packs than wolves. Hunting is usually done by individual coyotes, in pairs or in family units, contingent upon prey availability. Though coyotes are nocturnal, they can sometimes be seen during the day.
Orchard Lake Police Chief Fred Rosenau said that it's been "quite awhile" since the department has received any reports of coyotes in the community, and that some residents have expressed concerns, though the majority of Orchard Lake residents haven't.
In West Bloomfield last winter, Labadie received some photos taken on Upper Straits Lake in which a deer, which had partially fallen through the ice, was attacked by coyotes. He said there have been "a handful" of calls expressing concerns and/or sightings of coyotes.
"In West Bloomfield, we probably have 5,000 to 6,000 acres of protected area, which is conducive to housing certain creatures or animals," Labadie said. "That, along with suburban activities with trash and small animals, (means) we're probably a good spot for (coyotes), with all the water, streams, and changing topography for burrowing and caves."
Labadie said that if anyone spots a coyote, they are welcome to call the township and staff will follow up on the incident.
Highland Township Supervisor Triscia Pilchowski said the Oakland County Sheriff's Department Highland Substation hasn't received any complaints about coyotes, but her office received a call last week. The complainant was referred to animal control, according to Pilchowski.
"I've been here for 20 years and we used to get those calls more frequently back then because they would be from people who had just moved out to the area and weren't so familiar with it," she said. "We still see it here in Highland Township, but (people) have lived here for so long, they know (coyotes) are there."
Milford Township Supervisor Don Green said there are sightings of coyotes in Milford "all the time," but there have been no complaints lodge with township officials because people make the complaints to other agencies.
Tim Payne, southeast Michigan wildlife management unit supervisor for the DNR, didn't return a call seeking comment.
A representative from White Lake Township couldn't be reached for comment prior to press time.
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