Coyotes amongst us in the Warwick Valley

The coyote, Canis latrans, has been increasing in our region for over a half-century. “Coyote” is Nahuatl for “half-breed;” these Indians thought the coyote to be a fox-wolf hybrid. Much myth and misinformation surrounds the Eastern Coyote. Part of this stems from the fact that Eastern Coyotes, Woodland animals free of the stresses of desert or prairie life, grow larger than Western Coyotes, and occur in many color morphs. The brown, open grasslands of the West offer little cover to black or red pups that would “stand out” to hungry Golden Eagles and Wolves, but here in the East it’s “anyone’s game.” In New York, we see Red, gray, white and pure black coyotes, the latter creating an eerie presence skulking through a dark forest. Despite this appearance, however, these animals are essentially harmless to humans, and wary of people in general. I’ve handled wild coyote pups in full view of parent dogs that turned and ran. These are, truly, American Jackals. A recent news report of a fatal coyote attack on a young woman in Canada neglected to follow up on evidence of coyote-wolf hybrids, there. No such hybrids occur in southern New York. Among many misconceptions surrounding coyotes is that of them hunting in packs. While small families may hunt together through a winter, these rarely involve more than four animals. The dissonant howling of two or three coyotes sounds like a dozen or so, which promotes the “pack” myth. I’ve watched two coyotes calling together, sounding like 10. Coyotes rarely prey on anything half as large as themselves, preferring to hunt mice, voles, rabbits snakes and insects, which are far more numerous and easy to catch than deer, etc. I’ve watched them dig locally through muskrat lodges and termite mounds. If coyotes were efficient deer predators, we wouldn’t have the unnaturally high deer population that’s increased in our region over the past century. In fact, deer numbers have increased at a greater rate since coyotes’ numbers have increased. Coyotes do develop a “taste” for cats and lap dogs, however. I’ve found remains of both at local coyote dens, along with collars and tags. Cats and small dogs are at risk of attack if allowed to roam, but rodents still comprise more than 90 percent of coyotes’ food intake. The “coydog” myth of wild coyote-dog hybrids also lacks scientific support. Given the many colour morphs of eastern coyotes, though, it’s easy to understand how someone might think that a red or black coyote is “half-collie.” My advice to anyone who (understandably) fears coyotes is a trip to the Trailside Museum at Bear Mountain, where you can see two live, local coyotes up close. I visited last week, and, as always, these playful, caged little dogs remind me of Border Collies at the pound. Despite its eerie call, the coyote remains another harmless creature doing its best to keep local rodent populations down. Jay Westerveld of Sugar Loaf is a member of the New York Natural History Council.

Cats and small dogs are at risk of attack if allowed to roam, but rodents still comprise more than 90 percent of coyotes’ food intake.” Peter Westerveld Sugar Loaf and New York Natural History Council