You might have seen the news story on Fox19 about an increase in Coyote Sightings or seen reports on the TCHA Facebook Page about coyotes in your neighbors yards. Here are a few tips on what you can do to keep yourself and your pets safe from these wild animals. The biggest deterrent of all is to remove all accessible pet food and garbage from your property.
1. Coyotes are common throughout Ohio’s 88 counties and are regularly seen within city limits. Read more about coyotes at www.wildohio.com.
2. There are no wolves living in the wild in Ohio.
3. If you spot a coyote on your property, make sure to remove all “attractants” to deter the coyote from returning. This includes removing garbage and pet food primarily before nightfall and cleaning up around the grill. Do not feed coyotes directly.
4. Coyotes prey primarily on small mammals such as rabbits and rodents. However, interactions with domestic pets do occur sometimes. Keep small dogs and cats inside (especially after nightfall) or leashed when outside. Motion-sensitive lighting tends to be helpful too at keeping wildlife away from your home.
5. Occasionally, an inquisitive coyote will stay put and watch you curiously. Make noise. Clap your hands and shout; the coyote will likely move on at this point. If it doesn’t, throw objects like rocks at it to scare it away. A coyote that loses its fear of humans could potentially become a threat.
6. If the coyote visiting your yard does not respond to harassment techniques such as loud noises or it is presenting a conflict even after removing attractants from your yard, contact a nuisance trapper. Nuisance trappers use highly regulated techniques to reduce urban wildlife conflicts. Coyote populations in rural areas can be managed through legal hunting and trapping methods. Consult the yearly “Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations” digest for more information.
Source: http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/stay-informed/news-announcements/post/so-you-spot-a-coyote-in-your-urban-neighborhood-what-should-you-do
Additional Info
A Coyote is in your Backyard: What Do You Do?
Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources: Coyote Info
Turpin Hills Civic Association 