Coyotes in Shoreline
Friday, June 13, 2025
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| Coyote in Shoreline takes a nap in the sunshine Photo by Mae Saechao |
Coyotes play an important role in our environment and we can coexist peacefully with them.
If you see a coyote passing through your neighborhood, there is no need to report it. They are a natural part of our environment.
Spring in when the previous year's pups leave the den and strike out on their own, which is why there are so many reports right now.
To ensure the safety of you, your children, and your pets, it is important to keep a few things in mind.
The best strategy to prevent conflicts with coyotes is to avoid attracting them:
- Don’t leave small children unattended where coyotes are often seen or heard.
- Keep dogs and cats indoors, especially from dusk to dawn.
- NEVER FEED COYOTES.
- Don’t give coyotes access to garbage or compost.
- Feed dogs and cats indoors.
- If you feed feral cats, don't leave the food unattended.
- Prevent the buildup of feeder food under bird feeders.
- Enclose poultry and other small animals that live outdoors in a secure outdoor pen and house.
If it comes towards you, act aggressively toward the coyote. Wave your arms, throw stones, and shout at the coyote. If necessary, make yourself look larger.
Do not turn and run.
If a coyote does not scare easily, it most likely has become accustomed to humans through food. People have either fed the coyote or left easily accessible food sources around their homes.
If a coyote continues to act aggressively or in an unusual way, then contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) North Puget Sound office at 425-775-1311.
In an emergency, dial 911.
WDFW handles wildlife management in the state. The City does not offer trapping, translocation, or lethal removal services. Only in extreme cases of a coyote acting aggressively will WDFW or the City act to remove the animal.
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9 comments:
We didn't use to have urban coyotes threatening small dogs inside people's fenced backyards. The coyotes invaded because we as humans stopped harassing them.
We are making a choice as a community to endanger small domestic animals whenever they are outside. We could make different choices if we decided we were sick of the status quo.
Our grandparents wouldn't have tolerated this.
That is one healthy, well fed coyote!
Neighbors have reported several sightings around Northcrest Park and adjacent streets - early morning, mid-day, and afternoon.. On a possibly related note, I haven't seen any rabbits in my yard lately.
They dug under my fence and grabbed my son's dog. Brutal.
Thank you 7:03 commenter - you put a smile on my face! Gee, I haven't seen any small children either. Oh, they all grew-up and moved away
Coyotes have always been around. The reason your grandparents weren't bothered is due to many factors including more space for wildlife and humans, more natural food sources for the coyotes, and people were allowed to shoot or kill anything that they felt was a nuisance. I for one prefer to live in a time when we're not allowed to eliminate everything we don't like.
There have been several coyote spotted in the Lake City/Olympic Hills neighbors.
Eventually they'll take a child when a parent turns her head. People will say then that there was no way to predict that something so awful would happen, but the warning signs are there now. We're just ignoring them.
If we aren't going to shoot them as our grandparents did, at the very least we should trap neuter and release.
Install lights in your wooded backyard and you’ll be fine.
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