Dallas

Dallas City Leaders Provide Update On Addressing Coyote Problem

Experts say the ongoing drought is leading animals to search for water in the city

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Dallas is continuing its mission of fixing the city’s coyote problem.

This comes after an attack that left a 2-year-old boy injured near White Rock Lake in May while sitting on his porch near the White Rock Trail. Three coyotes were killed in the area after the attack.

In July, the city of Dallas launched a coyote management plan to prevent further incidents. On Monday, Paul Ramon, interim Animal Services general manager, provided an update to the city council’s quality of life, arts and culture committee.

He said a total of four coyotes have been killed since the attack and all tested negative for rabies.

A coyote hotline was created for information gathering and sighting reports. Ramon said the city has received more than 850 calls, with some even coming from outside Dallas city limits.

The city has held neighborhood meetings to educate residents on coyote behaviors and attack prevention, with more meetings to come. Signage detailing the hotline number and warnings have been placed in key areas with plans to put more permanent signage in specific locations. Progress is also being made on making an interactive online map and sighting submission page.

Animal Services is also working with code compliance to address issues and problem areas – mainly involving residents who are feeding coyotes intentionally or unintentionally, are leaving out food for other animals, not cleaning up trash, or even letting pet cats and dogs roam loose.

Animal Services and Dallas Park and Recreation also answered committee members’ questions on why there seems to be an influx of coyotes in spaces shared with humans.

“A big chunk of it this year is going to be related to drought. Keep in mind, coyotes are a species that have a high level of behavioral plasticity, meaning they can adapt and adjust to living just about anywhere,” said Brett Johnson, an urban biologist for Dallas Park & Recreation. “We literally have coyotes living on the edge of downtown Dallas right now."

He said animals are searching for water outside of dry rural areas. Critters like coyotes are finding it in ponds and creeks that are fed by irrigation in the city.

Johnson added that the population is increasing.

“Their existence and density are dependent on available food and prey. If resources go down, their pup litter numbers go down,” he said.

So with the combined effect of drought, he said the city needs to work on solving the issue of abundant food resources.

Currently, the city is considering a proposed anti-feeding ordinance to prevent more people from intentionally giving wild animals food and stop animals like coyotes from getting too comfortable around humans.

That is still being debated by the council, with councilman Adam Bazaldua sharing his disapproval of such an ordinance.

“We have to figure out how to educate our residents to coexist with the wildlife that we are next to. But I don’t necessarily see the answer being a heavy-handed government ordinance to slap people with a fine as the answer,” he said. “Is slapping people with a fine going to stop these tragic incidents? I know you can’t answer that just as this ordinance can’t solve the issue.”

Ann Barnes, a Dallas Animal Services assistant general manager, said more community meetings and discussions will be planned before the ordinance can move ahead. She added that it could give her team more support to deal with constant offenders.

“Intentional or unintentional feeding is part of every escalated coyote case we’ve had since the attack. Probably 50% of them, ignore us with the feedings and it continues to escalate,” she said. “We don’t want to have another incident. So that is where the ordinance will come in, after education. And if they continue to not follow the non-feeding of the coyote, that’s where we come in. It’s not anything like we’re going to go door-to-door checking birdfeeders."

It's not known how much the fine for a violation would be. According to the Dallas Morning News, the section in the city code where it would be added lays out a penalty of up to $2,000 for rules related to public health and sanitation, up to $500 for all other offenses, or the same amount in fines imposed by the state if the city rule mirrors state law.

Bazaldua, who chairs the quality of life, arts and culture committee, said he doesn’t understand what the enforcement plan is trying to solve “other than appeasement for PR.”

“I think we’re spinning our wheels in the wrong direction. And I would like to see us really spin our wheels really in the direction of education,” he said. “You are going in that direction but we’re just putting too much of our resources and expanding too much toward an ordinance that I don’t necessarily think is the right direction.”

One council member also asked about the fate of residents who love to feed outdoor feral cats in the neighborhood, which are protected in some ways.

Animal services said they recommend that everybody register the feral cat colony so they can assist residents with best practices.

"We’re not saying to feed your feral cats but to do it at the same time every day and not to leave the food there. Put it out feed the cats and then pick it up. Not free feeding and leaving bowls of food out all the time," said MeLissa Webber, Dallas Animal Services director.

Another council member asked about relocating the coyotes.

“As a professional wildlife biologist, I never endorse relocation,” said Johnson. “For nuisance management purposes, that actually creates a lot of problems. In fact in the state of Texas, coyotes are covered under the rabies quarantine and there really is no relocation for coyotes in Texas. If it is believed they need to be moved, they’ll be euthanized.”

Ramon stressed to the council that coyotes still serve a vital role in the ecosystem and the current challenge is about coexistence, setting boundaries, and preventing encounters.

“Their pray is largely things that we would consider beneficial. They prey on mice rats and other insects and they create a balance an ecosystem,” he said.

Coyotes’ diverse diet also helps to spread seeds for vegetation to grow.

“I think with education, folks are going to know you also don’t have to be scared of a coyote. It’s way more scared of us than we should be of it,” said deputy mayor pro tem Omar Narvaez. “It’s going to take all of us to educate a city on something we’ve never really dealt with before.”

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