Coyotes, Charlotte’s loudest newcomers, are here to stay

The local coyote hubbub raises plenty of questions. Are humans and the city’s rapid development responsible for displacing coyotes from wooded areas? Are they dangerous? Why are we hearing more of them these days?

What’s happening: The coyote population in the Charlotte area isn’t necessarily growing, experts tell Axios. Instead, humans are creating hospitable environments for them.

• Coyotes thrive in residential parts of Charlotte where there’s plenty of food — they eat everything from berries to rabbits to rodents to garbage, says Sara Gagné, an associate professor or urban ecology and landscape ecology at UNC Charlotte.

What they’re saying: “We’re intersecting with species’ habitats, including coyotes,” Gagné says. “Especially in those lower density subdivision areas, coyotes are finding a pretty good habitat.”

• Golf courses, backyards, parks and subdivisions — all of which provide coverage and food opportunities — are popular spots for coyotes.

Why it matters: Urban coyotes are becoming an increasingly common sight and sound in places like Charlotte. These animals are relatively new here, but we have to learn how to coexist, multiple local experts tell Axios.

• Their mating season began in mid-January, which is why they may seem to be noisier these days, as the Observer noted.

Zoom out: Coyotes are native to the West and Midwest — they only started moving into the Carolinas in the 1980s, says Falyn Owens, a wildlife biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. For a long time before that, red wolves dominated the area until they were hunted essentially to extinction.

• Red wolves and coyotes are similar in size, live in similar habitats and eat the same kinds of foods.
• “The loss of the red wolf opened up opportunities for coyotes to expand,” Owens said.

What’s more, coyotes are resilient and respond to attempts to control the population. For instance, when a large number of adults are killed off, the remaining coyotes will have larger litters, and they’ll reproduce at a younger age, per Owens.

“The more people tried to kill coyotes, the more coyote populations grew,” she added. “They are biologically programmed to rebound when there is high mortality. It’s really amazing.”

What’s next: Coyotes are here to stay, even if we’re not exactly accustomed to them yet. The city’s Animal Care & Control regularly fields calls about coyotes, though the department doesn’t handle wildlife, says spokesperson Melissa Knicely.

“We’re used to seeing raccoons and possums and squirrels and things like that. But when you see something that looks like a dog and it’s kind of wolf-like, it’s kind of alarming,” Knicely says.

• Coyotes aren’t known to attack humans or dogs, Gagné and Owens tell Axios. But they sometimes go after small pets, such as cats, rabbits and even some small dogs.
• If you know there are coyotes in your neighborhood, make sure your trash is secured in bins. Make sure the seeds from bird feeders isn’t scattered around, and ensure dogs are on a leash or behind a fence.

“We don’t have that cultural understanding of normal coyote behavior,” Owens said. “Coyotes are still fairly new here.”