Coyotes

This species is primarily nocturnal, meaning they come out mostly at night; however just seeing them during the day is not a sign of rabies. They are commonly seen during the day in urban and suburban areas and are usually attracted there by a food source or an easily accessed area to make a den such as under porches/decks, crawl spaces or out-buildings. The best way to prevent them from becoming a problem is to not give them a reason to come.

• If you are feeding wildlife, stop. This will cause them to lose their natural fear of humans.
• Keep trash inside until the morning of trash pick-up or place trash in an animal proof container, such as a metal trashcan with latches on the lids.
• Do not leave pet food outside; keep pet feeding areas clean.
• Remove bird feeders when problem species have been seen around them.
• Close up all openings under and into your buildings. Animals look for places to den and raise their young – don’t give them that opportunity.
• Clear fallen fruit from around trees.
• Keep brushy areas in your yard cut down to prevent cover for coyotes.
• Keep small pets inside and on a leash when outside; they may be viewed by a coyote as prey. Larger dogs are viewed as a threat particularly from January to June while mating and birthing pups.
• Pass along this information to your neighbors. If anyone in the neighborhood is feeding wildlife directly, or indirectly, it can cause trouble for everybody.
• Install coyote proof fencing to protect unsupervised pets.
• It is illegal in the State of Virginia to trap and relocate an animal to another area.
• Contact your local health department if animal exhibits signs of rabies such as stumbling, foaming at the mouth or aggression.
• There is no state bounty for coyotes; contact your county administrator’s office to see if there is a local bounty.

If these techniques do not solve the problem, you can contact a licensed trapper or a critter removal service, which you can find in your local phone directory. For more information about resolving human-coyote conflicts, please see Living with Coyotes Near Your Home in Virginia (PDF).