Urbanization’s Effect on a Coyote Population in Culver City

Due to the increased rates of urbanization in once biodiverse areas, it is now critical to study the effects of urbanization on species abundance and biodiversity. This study investigates the impact of urbanization in the Culver City area on coyote abundance. As part of a larger multi-year study, four sites across Culver City were studied and split into two groups, inner city, known as the urban area, and edge of city, known as the rural area. Coyote abundance was determined through the use of systematic camera trapping at each site for the year of 2020. A final total that accounts for all images collected containing coyotes at each site was analyzed and compared against the opposing locations and statistically analyzed using a t-test. In this analysis we found a decrease in coyote abundance in the urban areas as opposed to the more rural locations on the edge of town. The further understanding of urbanization’s effect on coyote populations will help us to not only protect coyotes in present day, but also allows for better coyote management polices to be put in place prior to future urban expansion.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_posters/1044/thumbnail.jp

Diet Analysis of Scat from Coyote Pack in Culver City

Culver City’s residential and recreational areas have experienced more frequent encounters with native wildlife in recent years. The increase in these interactions with the city’s population and coyotes (Canis latrans) in particular have sparked interest in understanding why these canids have habitualized to urban environment. A possible hypothesis for this occurring could be that the coyotes’ diet has evolved to prey upon domesticated cats, which are also highly prevalent in urban areas. A dry fecal analysis has been developed to quantify how often the coyotes have incorporated cats into their diet. To track the consistency of their diets, we collected scat samples from one pack for a year period, dried them, and dissected them. We then observed animal hairs discovered in those samples via light microscopy at 100X magnification. We identified animal hair based on its structural characteristics such as the medulla, cortex, pigment granules, and the cuticle. Understanding seasonal patterns and contents in coyote diets will better inform City officials to create coyote management programs and provide residents with information that will help them better protect their pet.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_posters/1043/thumbnail.jp

City of Culver City Coyote Management Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The scientific staff at the LMU Center for Urban Resilience, along with affiliated scientists, collaborators and students conducted a three-year management study in order to assist the City of Culver City and its residents in managing the dynamic challenge of coexisting with resident and transient coyotes. Despite the considerable social and logistical upheaval caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, CURes staff and collaborators collected and analyzed data continuously through the various phases of the pandemic. The goals of the project were to: 1) Gather appropriate ecological, technical and human social data with regard to coyote ecology and human-wildlife conflict, 2) analyze these findings in comparison with other studies conducted across North America and 3) develop durable management interventions linked with formal and informal education to reduce the negative impacts of the expanding coyote population in Culver City and beyond. The study employed various data collection methods including remote camera traps, radio-telemetric collars, dietary analysis, direct observation, molecular analytics, and a survey of residents. During the three-year study, we collected nearly 2 million photos, radiocollared two male coyotes, collected nearly 200 scat samples, surveyed 377 residents, and developed educational resources and a backyard study that can help residents determine the coyote risk in their backyard. Some key findings are as follows: While coyote densities did not change much during the three years, densities of their prey species, particularly rabbits, did. These declines could be attributed to decreased rainfall during the study, which has been linked to declining levels of rabbits in the Sonoran desert as well. Studies in other cities, such as Chicago and North Carolina, where cats make up a very small percentage of coyote diet, found that cats avoid areas where coyotes are common. Our study did not find this. Locations where cats were recorded and time of day when they were spotted overlapped significantly with coyote locations and time of day, increasing risk of predation on cats. There are seasonal patterns to when coyotes spend more time within the City rather than the oilfields. There also appears to be a seasonal pattern to when cat appears in coyote diet. Cat appears in greater quantities in summer and fall and is rare in the diet during the winter. Based on this, we recommend a social media schedule that could help inform residents when their cats are at greater risk. Educational outreach utilizing some of the findings of this study may help residents change behavior on how they manage their outdoor cats. DNA analysis from scat samples show that there are likely two packs of coyotes entering Culver City. The first is a pack that ranges from 6-8 near Marycrest Manor and the oilfields. The second does not appear to live within the Culver City limits but enters the City from Ballona Creek, where they appear to travel but not den. Dry scat analysis shows that the Marycrest Manor pack does not prefer cat as their top prey and typically has less than 5% cat in their diet. However, as rabbit density decreased, we saw a change in the coyote diet. In the first year of the study, more than 50% of coyote scat contained rabbit, and very few scat contained cats. However, in the second year, rabbit decreased dramatically from the diet, and cat increased to nearly 20% in October. The survey of residents showed 64% of respondents agreeing that they understand coyote behavior and activities, and 53% agreeing that they know where coyotes frequent. This perceived knowledge goes against previous research and our own experience, suggesting a need for further outreach and education. More than one-fourth of respondents indicated that they are unaware of the City’s coyote management efforts, thus we suggest that the City use a multi-faceted outreach approach. The findings suggest that coyotes in Culver City are responding to a variety of ecological conditions, including drought, prey availability, adjacency to the Ballona Creek and other naturalized patches of habitat. The behavior of coyotes in Culver City is both similar to that of coyotes in other cities, but also expresses novel characteristics that are likely shared by coyotes exploiting the urbanized habitats of Southern California. Predation on domestic cats was not evenly distributed spatially across Culver City, temporally across seasons or equally among coyote subpopulations foraging in Culver City habitats. These variations are likely the result of dynamic prey availability in Culver City and provide insight into future management solutions. Risk of predation of domestic cats by coyotes is impacted by these factors and also by human factors as revealed by our backyard safety surveys and social surveys: in particular, residents’ perceived knowledge of urban coyotes and domestic cats. Core interventions implemented by Culver City officials and local resident stakeholders are informed by the following set of management suggestions: Recommendation 1.Increasing specialized education for stakeholders with regard to reducing coyote risk. Recommendation 2.Implementing a suite of interventions at the individual parcel level that can decrease the potential threat from coyotes. Recommendation 3.Following a tiered response to coyote management with respect to documented incidences. Recommendation 4.Introducing a palette of strategies that can be applied to residential pet owners as they try to find a balance between pet safety and outdoor activities. Each of these interventions have detailed elements in the following report that allow for a tiered response to coyote conflicts with humans and their domestic pets. The success of these approaches is contingent upon the creation of effective feedback loops among the stakeholders so that gaps in the response do not occur and the management interventions are geared to the existing and future threats.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_reports/1011/thumbnail.jp

Investigating the Effects of Urban Coyotes on Free-Range Cats in Culver City, California Using Occupancy Analyses of Camera Trap Data

As a habitat generalist, coyotes are known to thrive in urban environments given the abundance and diversity of suitable food sources throughout the cityscape. Within Southern California, cats have been found to comprise a higher proportion of coyote diet than in other urban areas throughout the country. However, it is unclear what factors are contributing to these higher rates of cat depredation by coyotes in the Los Angeles region. While previous research suggests that coyote presence may have a negative effect on free-range cat distributions, few studies have determined whether urban green spaces affect coyote or free-range cat occurrence within a dominantly urban landscape. For this study, we set up 20 camera traps across a range of green spaces and residential sites in Culver City, California. Using data collected for six months, we conducted a preliminary analysis of the influence of green space on coyote and cat occupancy. Coyotes exhibited a preference for sites with higher green space values, while cats appeared largely unaffected by the proportion of green space. Unlike other cities where there is strong partitioning of the landscape by coyotes and cats, our cat distributions indicated substantial overlap with coyotes. We suggest that this pattern of overlap, as well as evidence of green space use by free-range cats, may be responsible for the increased rates of cat depredation by coyotes in Culver City

City of Long Beach Coyote Management Project

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Staff from the Loyola Marymount University Center for Resilience, in collaboration with officials from the City of Long Beach conducted a multiyear analysis of coyote ecology, risk, and management options to be implemented. The project was designed to incorporate local data, regional information and national examples to be applied to the challenges of coyote management in Long Beach. The project was initiated in response to increase concern about the safety of coyotes living within the city and their impact on domestic animals, especially cats. The project occurred at a prescient period in urban coyote research as many parallel projects were taking place across the country, with a few focused in Southern California. As such, the project activities morphed during the period of three years to better capture the new information that was being made available by collaborating scientists in the area and by research teams across the country. The data from Long Beach and other studies indicate that coyotes in Southern California present an increasing risk to domestic animals, especially cats, when compared to both historical studies and other locations across the country. These findings have been supported by multiple research efforts by other scientific teams and by our additional work that is currently underway in Culver City. As a result of these findings, the management challenges for coyotes in Southern California have increased in scope and complexity. Cities across the region are struggling to find effective and humane interventions that can ameliorate the threats presented by coyotes, especially those directed towards domestic animals and people. Our recommendations include: 1) increasing specialized education for stakeholders with regard to reducing coyote risk, 2) implementing a suite of interventions at the individual parcel level that can decrease the potential threat from coyotes, 3) following a tiered response to coyote management with respect to documented incidences, and 4) introducing a palette of strategies that can be applied to residential pet owners as they try to find a balance between pet safety and outdoor activities. This report and its appendices contain detailed information and resources that can be used to address these recommendations. As part of this project, we developed a localized formal in-school curriculum that is available online to the Long Beach Unified School District and other schools in the area. We have also developed a backyard safety survey that can be implemented with relative ease. Finally, the report itself provides a wealth of information pulled together from our data collection in Long Beach as well as other cities throughout the US. These resources can be used by themselves or be incorporated into the development of additional outreach materials. While the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the feasibility of certain in person community engagement and outreach interventions, these materials can still be utilized immediately. The CURes team stands ready to provide virtual workshops, presentations, and professional advice on individual coyote incidents and the options the city might use to reduce risk.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_reports/1000/thumbnail.jp

Core Results From a Three-Year Management Study of Human-Coyote Conflict in Culver City, CA with Suggestions for Conflict Amelioration

A three-year management study of urban coyotes (Canis latrans) by the LMU Center for Urban Resilience is being conducted in Culver City, CA in order to assist local government officials and residents in managing human- coyote conflicts. The study is in response to an increase in predation of domestic cats (80+) by local populations of coyotes. Our research has been focused on the ecological factors that have been drivers of the recent increase in predation events. Multiple techniques were employed to better understand coyote behavior, including radio telemetry, diet analysis, remote camera trap systems, molecular analysis and direct observations. In addition, human social surveys were conducted in order to better determine resident attitudes towards coyotes and their management. Finally, formal and informal educational materials were prepared in order to inform local residents and students about safe coexistence with coyotes. This poster provides an overview of findings and management suggests of the three-year study. Results include a strong relationship between the impacts of long-term drought and risk of predation by coyotes on cats.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_posters/1045/thumbnail.jp

A Collaborative Social-Ecological Research Approach to Inform & Address Urban Coyote Management Challenges

Coyotes (Canis latrans) play an important mesopredator role in urban habitats and provide valuable ecosystem services, but also risk factors to human safety. Because of rare, but high-profile instances of human-coyote conflict, urban coyotes are often perceived only as a nuisance, or even dangerous, to human populations and their domestic animals. This tension between urban wildlife and communities can result in policy and management decisions that are not effective or beneficial to either population. We believe that effective urban coyote management requires an understanding of the resident coyotes in a given city, as well as the human residents’ behavior, knowledge, and perceptions related to coyotes. This type of assessment can be done as a collaboration with researchers and city leaders to inform wildlife management and educational outreach. In this research note, we describe one such social-ecological research and outreach approach that has been implemented in two cities in Southern California: Long Beach and Culver City, CA. Components of these projects include: identifying coyote movement patterns through motion activated cameras; examining coyote diets through analysis of scat samples; gathering information about resident knowledge and behavior through public surveys; and developing formal and informal curricula to be used in public education and outreach programming. We will describe this process in detail, provide early findings, and highlight instances of particular success and difficulty in implementation. We will close with a discussion of implications for wildlife management and environmental stewardship in urban settings

Spatiotemporal relationships of coyotes and free-ranging domestic cats as indicators of conflict in Culver City, California

As habitat generalists, urban coyote (Canis latrans) populations often utilize an abundance of diverse food sources in cities. Within southern California, domestic cats (Felis catus) comprise a higher proportion of coyote diets than in other studied urban areas throughout the United States. However, it is unclear which ecological factors contribute to higher rates of cat depredation by coyotes in this region. While previous research suggests that coyote presence may have a negative effect on free-ranging domestic cat distributions, few studies have determined whether urban green spaces affect coyote or free-ranging domestic cat occurrence and activity within a predominantly urbanized landscape. We placed 20 remote wildlife cameras across a range of green spaces and residential sites in Culver City, California, an area of Los Angeles County experiencing pronounced coyote-domestic cat conflict. Using data collected across 6 months from 2019–2020, we assessed the influence of green space and prey species (i.e., cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) and domestic cats) on coyote habitat use and activity. Coyotes exhibited a preference for sites with higher amounts of green space, while domestic cat habitat use was high throughout our study region. Although cottontail rabbit habitat use was also highly associated with urban green space, neither cottontails nor domestic cats appeared to temporally overlap significantly with coyotes. Unlike other cities where coyotes and domestic cats exhibit strong habitat partitioning across the landscape, domestic cats and coyotes spatially overlapped in green space fragments throughout Culver City. We suggest that this pattern of overlap may be responsible for the frequent cases of domestic cat depredation by coyotes in Culver City