Police report that a coyote was spotted Monday night in the City of Manhattan Beach. The animal was last seen on 10th and John. The Manhattan Beach Police Department asked residents be cautious and take extra measures to keep pets safe.
The city had an influx of coyotes a year ago but few sightings since.
At that time, an information officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state body that protects plant and wildlife, wasn’t surprised to hear about the sightings.
“Having coyotes in urban development that is adjacent to the beach really isn’t that unusual,” said Janice Mackey. “Coyotes range over the entire state.”
She offered a few possible reasons for the influx.
“Their food source could have moved,” she said. “Urban sprawl could have definitely displaced them. They go where the food is. They are extremely resourceful and able to adapt to an urban environment.”
Mackey said that people often provide a food source without realizing it by leaving trash or pet food outside.
“All it takes is one neighbor in a neighborhood not to be diligent,” she said. “Everybody has to do it as a group.”
In a world where there were few to no humans, Mackey said the creatures would go “probably toward the soft foothill community, where there’s rabbits and abundant food sources.”
The press release noted that coyotes that are trapped are euthanized and that “relocating a problem coyote is not an option because it only moves the problem to another neighborhood and into another animal’s territory.”
Mackey directed people to go to keepmewild.org for tips on dealing with coyotes.
