'Here To Stay:' Redondo Beach Considering New Plan To Address Coyote Uptick

REDONDO BEACH, CA — A new plan to address the uptick in coyote activity in Redondo Beach is slated for approval during Tuesday's city council meeting.

The Coyote Management & Response Plan focuses on teaching people how to coexist with coyotes while still prioritizing public safety, according to city officials.

This would be done by educating community members on how to deter coyotes, including reducing and removing food attractants, reducing human and pet interactions actively collecting data and tracking coyote movements and creating a response plan for situations where trapping is necessary.

The Coyote Management & Response Plan will also employ a tiered matrix to effectively manage how the city responds to coyote activity.

"Urban coyotes are here to stay," Redondo Beach officials said in a statement in the Coyote Management & Response Plan. "While many fear an attack from coyotes, such incidents are rare and fatalities are rarer still."

Coyote sightings in Redondo Beach increased last year, with police at the time saying the canine was causing concerns among community members.

City officials said that while the root cause of the rise in coyote activity or coyote-related incidents is unclear, contributing factors such as increased coyote populations, droughts, and habitat displacement due to urban development may be factors.

Other Los Angeles County neighborhoods have also been rattled by coyotes, including Venice and Mar Vista, where the canine wanders around the Ballona Wetlands.

"Whether we like it or not, coexisting with urban coyotes offers the most sustainable approach moving forward, city officials said. "Efforts to eradicate coyotes have repeatedly failed. Despite the United States killing over 400,000 coyotes annually — roughly one per second for decades — populations have continued to grow rather than decline."

Although coyotes are known to live in areas such as prairies or deserts, city officials said they can adapt to urban environments and even thrive in metropolitan areas. They are social animals that live in family groups as opposed to packs, like wolves do, and are territorial.

Coyotes often feed on rodents, rabbits, raccoons, fruit, garbage and small pets, primarily hunting at dawn or dusk, according to city officials. While humans may see them as pests, city officials say the coyote plays a critical role in local ecosystems, regulating the populations of small mammals and rodents.

Coyotes are fearful of humans and will go out of their way to avoid them, according to city officials. However, they can habitually grow accustomed to being around humans over time.

"While the behavior is not inherently dangerous, it does increase the risk of incidents and potential aggressive encounters," city officials said. "To prevent this, experts recommend consistent 'hazing,' a technique designed to reinforce a coyote's natural fear of humans."

Attacks on humans are rare and there has only been one incident recorded in United States history where a human was fatally wounded by a coyote, city officials said in its plan.

Still, the coyote will attack under certain conditions, including when its cornered, defending its den, if it associates a human with food or if its injured or ill, city officials said.

"To minimize such risks, it is important for residents to avoid actions that encourage coyotes to associate humans with food," according to city officials, who said the new plan seeks to balance wildlife protection and habitat preservation with public safety.

As part of the Coyote Management & Response Plan, the city's animal services will consult with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife when trapping a coyote is necessary. Trapping a coyote may cost about $1,500 per animal, according to city officials.

"Under the CMRP's tiered response framework, there has yet to be a known coyote threat in the City that would generate the need for trapping services," Jane Chung, assistant to the city manager, said in an administrative report to the mayor and city council. "If a situation were to arise requiring that response, funding for the service would be available in the Police Department's regular contract and professional services budget."

To report a coyote sighting, residents can call Redondo Beach Animal Services at 310-3792-2477, extension 6. For after-hours, email animal care services at MSO@redondo.org. For emergencies, call 911. Coyote sightings can also be reported through the Coyote Cacher tool, which is managed by the University of California.

Los Angeles Editor Paige Austin and Local Editor Rachel Barnes contributed to this report.