Coyotes Cause a Stir in Northville Subdivision

Northville Township resident Kristin Bell is used to seeing coyotes near her home in the Northville Ridge subdivion near Six Mile and Ridge roads.

But when she saw at least 10 coyotes in her rearview mirror as she pulled out of her garage last month, she became concerned.

"They took off," Bell said. "It's not like I felt like I was in any danger. It just startled me."

Coyote sightings are not uncommon in the suburbs of Detroit. In Ferndale, the city wandering in the city limits. According to a post on the Northville Patch Facebook page, coyotes have been spotted all around the township too and have caused some concern.

"We hear them practically every night. I know that they’re typically more afraid of us than we are of them. But what’s disconcerting is when you’re having a cup of coffee in your back yard and one’s staring back at you," Bell added. "Or ten pairs of eyes staring back at you."

She has a 4-year-old daughter and a dog that she worries about spending time outdoors. She began to wonder about a number of factors: Were there more coyotes in the area than before? Were they a threat? What happens if they become a threat? Can anything be done to help the situation?

The answers, according to Michigan's Department of Natural Resources (DNR), are not simple.

"In the urban areas you have coyotes that are now comfortable," said Adam Bump, bear and fur-bearer specialist for the state DNR's wildlife division.

He added that several studies have found that it is not uncommon for the home range of coyotes to fall in urban and suburban areas. This is the area in which they live and hunt. This also means that they are accustomed to living alongside humans.

That's why they seem to be "losing fear of people and people start to notice them more. They've probably always been there. People just didn’t notice them before," he said.

Education is key

Coyote attacks are rare, but they have occurred around the country.

In one instance in Colorado a toddler was attacked last year but survived. One incident turned fatal in 2009 for a hiker in Canada. 

"It’s one of those things, anytime you see a wild animal out and about they deserve respect. You always want to be cautious around wildlife," Bump said.

Knowing more about coyotes and how to prevent attacks is important. Here are some key facts to know about them:

• Coyotes don't usually travel in packs. When they do, it's usually because adult coyotes are traveling with their young. In other instances, they may be hunting together.
• If you see a coyote, they are more likely to be afraid of you than you are of it. Make noise. This should scare them away. Still, Bump said, because coyotes are good at adapting to their surroundings, and may become accustomed to people, it might be cause for concern if they do not respond to noise-making. "Unless they are used to people, they try to avoid people," he said.
• To avoid attracting coyotes to your home area, Bump recommends putting out trash only on trash pick-up dates. Limit brush piles where small animals like mice, rabbits and shrews live. These are areas where coyotes may appear to look for food.
• If you have small pets, coyotes might prey on them for territorial reasons. In general, though, Bump said, "fear of coyotes preying on pets is overrated." He suggests accompanying pets if you let them out at night.
• "Whenever coyotes are hunted in an area, they respond by having larger litters of pups," according to a pamphlet on coyotes from township police Officer Mike Burrough. "Next, when coyotes from one area are removed, coyotes from another will fill the void. Lastly, when weighed against the fact that coyotes pose no realistic threat to humans, discharging firearms around homes and schools is a far greater threat."

Solutions are complicated

Burrough said that calls to township police about coyotes are rare.

"A mere sighting doesn’t warrant a response from a police officer," he said. "Certainly if people are uncomfortable, give us a call."

According to Northville Township's ordinance on hunting, hunting is illegal in the township limits. If caught, violators "shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both."

The DNR also does not respond to requests for coyote trapping or removal, Bump said.

He suggests that if residents feel threatened or concerned by coyotes, that they contact a private animal nuisance company which can remove and euthanize them. Chances are, though, new coyotes will move into the area.

For Bell, who said her sighting seems to have caused a stir with neighbors, that has not yet become an option. 

But for her, knowing more about the coyote population with which she and her neighbors coexist is a step in the right direction. Bump said the DNR does not keep specific population numbers for coyotes.

"They are a wild animal. You don’t know what they’re capable of," she said. "Awareness is a big helper in all of this."

Specifically, she said that knowing how big the population is and whether Northville Township is experiencing a boom.

"Does that present a problem or is that higher than other averages?" she said. "I think it warrants just a little bit of research."

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