With coyote sightings in Pasadena up 70% in the first eight months this year, the Pasadena Public Health Department is urging community members to take extra precautions to protect their families and their pets from encounters with the increasingly visible wildlife.

“Coyotes are naturally fearful of people and typically go out of their way to avoid human interaction,” Acting Director of Public Health Manuel Carmona said. “When coyotes are comfortable around humans, it is a strong sign that someone nearby is intentionally or inadvertently feeding them.”

He said coyote sightings and related concerns reported citywide to the City Service Center increased by 70% during the first eight months of 2024 compared with the same period last year. No attacks on humans were reported during this time, Carmona added.

Of the 224 reports the city received so far this year, 97% involved normal or habituated coyote behavior as outlined in Pasadena’s Urban Wildlife Management Plan, he said.The plan, which guides official response to wildlife encounters with the public, classifies typical coyote behavior across threat level. This can range from stalking and vocalizing at the lowest threat level, but even attacking a pet, while considered a more serious threat, is still normal behavior for a mildly habituated coyote.

The recent rise in sightings in Pasadena neighborhoods is largely due to pack leaders kicking out adolescent coyotes in late summer and early fall, prompting these younger coyotes to seek out their new territories or a new pack to join.

As a result, community reports about coyotes typically peak in the fall, Carmona said. In October and November 2023, the city received 59 and 39 reports, respectively, the highest monthly counts last year.

“Many of these juvenile coyotes die due to vehicle strikes or starvation as they search for their own territory or a new pack to join,” he said. “Nonetheless, the possibility of coyote activity in Pasadena neighborhoods increases during this time.”

In 2022, the city received 159 calls regarding coyotes, including a dozen that ended in an injury or death of a pet, according to a staff report.

The number of coyote sightings dropped somewhat in the first half of 2023, with the city receiving 51 reports through May 30 — 22% less than during the same period in 2022 — though two of these incidents resulted in the death of pets.

In July 2023, the City Council briefly considered a potential trap-and-kill program in response to concerns raised by some Arroyo homeowners about perceived increase of coyote sightings. However, after scores of public commenters, backed by PETA and other animal rights organizations, spoke out against the lethal measure, the City Council abandoned the plan.

Instead, elected officials voted to direct staff to implement five nonlethal approaches previously recommended to the Public Safety Committee, including increasing public outreach and education, improving the coyote reporting system, sharing information with other cities and experts, hiring a consultant to conduct a field study, and helping individual homeowners protect their property.

Many also advocated for more public resources to encourage hazing — the practice of using techniques like making loud noise, throwing things, using bright lights, and spraying water to maintain coyote’s fear of humans and discourage their interaction with people.

Residents who work with their neighbors to establish a consistent practice of hazing are more likely to keep coyotes at a safe distance, officials and experts said.

“It is important to create a culture of bold and consistent hazing to prepare for the possibility of encountering coyotes when walking pets,” Lauren Hamlett, Director of Wildlife Education and Services of Pasadena Humane, said in a statement. “This includes always staying present and aware, leashing pets, and never placing pets in situations where they are vulnerable to wildlife interactions.”

City officials are urging people to follow these hazing tips to ensure their safety during coyote encounters.

• Appear large and stand your ground, forcing the coyote to leave; never turn your back or run away, and ensure the coyote has an exit route.

• Maintain eye contact and make the coyote uncomfortable.

• Pick up small pets and young children, and continue to face the coyote while standing firm.

• Be aggressive and make loud noises like yelling, clapping, or using an air horn or banging on a pot or pan.

• Shine bright lights, spray water, open and close an umbrella, or throw tennis balls toward the coyote.

For pet owners:

• Walk your pets on a fixed-length leash no longer than 6 feet; avoid retractable leashes for better control.

• In the spring and summer, watch for coyotes and avoid areas where they are often spotted, as this may indicate a den site.

• Keep cats indoors or use enclosed outdoor patio spaces, and supervise dogs outdoors or keep them in enclosed areas.

• Remove potential attractants from your property, such as outside pet food, unsecured trash, messy bird feeders, and fallen fruit.

• Intentional feeding of wildlife is a crime and should be reported for investigation to Pasadena Humane at 626-792-7151, extension 970.

Residents are encouraged to report coyote sightings or concerns to the City Service Center at the Coyote Sighting Report website or by calling 626--744-7311. The Pasadena Public Health Department monitors these reports to identify trends in reporting, and potential coyote hot spots.