An “exploding” Pasadena coyote population has the city struggling with the influx, and eying drastic measures, according to news reports.
KTLA Television recently quoted Councilmember Tyron Hampton giving the warning to the council. In April he said:
“Collectively we should work together to try to control the population and get coyotes back to being fearful of humans,” Hampton said.
Hampton has been involved in Pasadena politics since 2013 and represents the First District. He was referring to an increased number of reports of encounters with the Pasadena coyote population and a sense that the threat to humans and animals has increased.
According to KTLA ,159 coyote incidents were reported to the city. A dozen involved injured or killed pets. No people were hurt. Pasadena monitors reports of coyote sightings and interactions. It has a public awareness campaign and enforces applicable laws.
The council has asked staff to look into all options. How other cities are handling the matter is of prime concern. One city being studied is Torrance. Torrance has a trap and euthanize policy that has removed about a dozen coyotes from the city streets each year. Some questions remain. One concern is whether euthanization actually causes a higher coyote “population boom” as the surviving animals produce more pups. It is also possible coyotes in neighboring areas sense the void.
Coyotes are a threat to pets and livestock, but very rarely attack people. Almost never fatally. The known exception is a fatal attack on a Canadian woman a number of years ago. The killing is believed to be the first ever. After years of research investigators concluded that it was probably a one-time assault and not likely to be repeated. Research suggested that the coyotes involved (which were killed) had changed their habits. The animals had learned to tackle large game successfully. The single woman walking alone in a forested park thus appeared as prey to them.