Coyotes Avoid Rich Neighborhoods In LA Area: Study

LOS ANGELES — Coyotes around Los Angeles tend to avoid high-income areas, according to a study of movement patterns published recently in Ecology Letters and spotlighted by the Rausser College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley.

The study found wealth, pollution, population density and other data points in combination with information about landscaopes and infrastructure like roads and railways can predict coyote roaming patterns, according to the Rausser College. Twenty coyotes trapped by the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner’s office were outfitted with solar-powered GPS collars for the study, the college said.

“Wealthier areas tend to have a more separationist and negative view toward coyotes,” co-author Christine Wilkinson told the Rausser College. “There are a lot of people that take out permits to remove coyotes, which doesn’t happen in lower-income areas as it's very expensive to hire a trapper.”

The findings go against the idea that wealthier neighborhoods tend to have more biodiversity due to habitat and natural resources, Wilkinson told the school, which noted that distances to cemeteries and golf courses, where sightings can be common, were the weakest influences on movement and habitat selection.