Official says education can reduce coyote problem

Monday, Dec. 27, 1999 | 4:10 a.m.

El Dorado County Supervisor Dave Solaro says he has received lots of calls about coyotes from concerned residents. He says people need to realize that the coyotes have learned they can get quick and easy meals by tearing into garbage cans, raiding outside pet food containers and even killing domestic cats and dogs.

He says people should be more careful with their garbage and pets, and always keep in mind that they're in coyote country.

"What we want to try to do is inform the public and educate them as to what's causing the coyotes to come into urban areas and ways to prevent what's happening - primarily the loss of pets," Solaro said.

South Lake Tahoe resident Ramona Kluever lost her dog last month to a coyote. The Pomeranian, named Munchkin, was outside for only about 45 seconds, she said, before a coyote snatched him and carried him away.

"I just think there's too many of them now," said Kluever, a 20-year resident. "They're so brazen. They're taking little animals off of leashes. I've heard some real horror stories."

"I don't know what the solution is," Kluever said. "I don't want them to go out and kill them all, but there has to be some control."

Coyotes are common in most of California. Their presence at Tahoe has often made headlines and television news stories.

In February 1997 a 4-year-old was mauled by a coyote outside her family's vacation rental. The coyote was shot. The girl survived, but needed nearly 60 sutures. Later, a neighbor told officials that some area residents had been leaving food out for wild animals.

After a series of bites in the nearby Stateline, Nev., area earlier this year, several coyotes were killed.

More recently, coyotes on Lake Tahoe Airport runways disrupted takeoffs and landings. That has led to construction of a $150,000 fence to keep out the coyotes.

"It will work," said Janis Brand, airport management assistant. "It won't keep all the coyotes out. Coyotes will wait until someone opens a gate and sneak around the corner. But it will keep the large groups out that we were having problems with."

Brand, a 20-year resident of Tahoe, said she hasn't had any problems at her home but believes coyotes now, more than before, are becoming a problem.

Brand said the answer is probably having a large "basin-kill" and then letting the population gradually grow back.

"I think that is the solution, but we can't do it," she said. "State law won't allow it. That's what we wanted to do here, and they wouldn't allow it."

Cheryl Millham, executive director of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, said killing coyotes isn't the answer.

"When a dog bites a human, they don't go out and kill 19 Rottweilers. They kill the dog that did the damage, and they should kill the coyote that did the damage, but not 19," she said.

Millham, who has been caring for injured or sick wild animals for more than 20 years at Tahoe, agrees that education is the solution: Trash should be coyote-proof; if people feed pets outside, the food should be brought back inside; and never feed wildlife.