Coyote 101: Officials set to educate public

Lake Havasu City officials are currently working to create a “How to Live with Coyotes” document that will be mailed out with about 30,000 water bills in the city.

“The decision is to proceed with public education,” said City Manager Charlie Cassens on Wednesday. “We think that we can have good result with public education and teaching people to remove the attractants that they might inadvertently be leaving for coyotes.”

Leaving pet food or water outside is one way Havasu citizens may be feeding coyotes – and not even know they are doing it.

There is a city ordinance that prohibits feeding of coyotes in Havasu.

According to the law, the violation is a Class 3 Misdemeanor, and if convicted, fines can reach $500 and include as many as 10 days in jail.

Lake Havasu City Police Sgt. Joe Harrold said there have been no reports of coyote feeding citations or arrests in the past five years of the department’s criminal activity records.

“We haven’t had any (complaints) but we would like to know if anyone is feeding them,” Cassens said. “We will follow up on those calls. It’s important to get through to those folks.”

Cassens said the issue of coyotes is a recurring one with citizens. He reported this is the third time the issue has been at the forefront in at least 10 years.

The loss of small pets is emotional. And it is difficult to track the exact number of instances, Cassens said.

“Pets are property and folks look to the city to protect property from wildlife,” he said. "We empathize with people who’ve lost pets, but even removal of coyotes doesn’t guarantee safety of a small pet outdoors.”

The cost for the mailer is “minimal, at a couple thousand dollars,” Cassens said.

The information is set to hit mailboxes in February, or after the next two billing cycles.

The information is an abridged version of Arizona Game and Fish Department’s “Living with Coyotes” brochure and includes tips to discourage coyotes from entering residential yards, how to scare them off and how to protect small pets and children.

If the public education sweep isn’t effective, the city’s back up plan is a bit more heavy-handed.

“If the education doesn’t work and the community still insists government does something that something means dead coyotes,” Cassens said.

In that case, professional wildlife servicemen would be hired for the task. The city won’t allow a sportsman’s group to handle it. And animal activist groups would more than likely be in opposition to the action, he said.

Cassens said he, too, is keen to the presence of coyotes because he lives on the edge of town, near a wash area and owns two small pets.

“I’ve made a considerable investment in a secondary enclosure so the dogs can come and go,” he said. Also, the two small dogs aren’t allowed outside without the company of a human.

“We take special precautions,” he said. “I enjoy living in desert and enjoy having coyotes around and have no desire to remove them. But it does take extra precautions to protect pets, the city can’t do that.”

You may contact the reporter at jhanson@havasunews.com.