Don’t feed the coyotes! In fact, don’t feed any wildlife in Laguna Woods – squirrels, bunnies and, by extension, rats.
Pick up fruit from under your fruit tree because it’s part of the food chain that sustains the coyote population here.
Laguna Woods may have been designed as a retirement haven, but a cacophony of voices at the United Mutual town hall meeting Friday, July 11, suggested it’s also become an oasis for an increasing number of coyotes.
At least 200 residents attended the town hall.
Making up the panel of speakers were animal control officer Lauren Elliott from the Laguna Beach Police Department, Laguna Woods Mayor Shari Horne and councilmembers Annie McCary, Pearl Lee and Cynthia Conners. United First Vice President Jeanne Costello presided over the meeting, held in the Performing Arts Center auditorium.
Elliott described adult coyotes at roughly 2 feet tall and weighing between 15 and 45 pounds. They live between three and eight years. They produce litters of four to eight pups and raise their young between July and September. They hunt in packs, mostly at night, led by alpha males and females.
The good news, according to Elliott, is that in the past two decades in Laguna Woods Village, there’s been only one confirmed coyote attack on a human. By comparison, she noted, each year 40 people in the area are bitten by dogs.
The not so good news? Coyotes are here to stay, and it is up to people to protect their pets, both dogs and cats.
For residents to keep themselves and their pets safe when out walking, Elliott offered the usual timeworn advice.
She recommends “hazing” when encountering a coyote: Residents should make loud noises with airhorns, whistles, even coins rattling in cans. They should carry a big stick for defense and pepper spray.
To avoid being mistaken for prey, residents should stand their ground and not run away.
And, of course, it’s best to not walk one’s pet in the early morning hours or after dark and to walk in groups.
Dump those retractable leashes, Elliott told the residents, and get a leash no longer than 6 feet. Pocket that cellphone and keep a close eye on surroundings.
Above all, do not feed wildlife, do not leave out food and water, and secure trash. And keep cats indoors.
Residents at the town hall weren’t exactly happy with all that advice. They wanted – demanded – more forcible action, saying that not only has the coyote population in the Village increased dramatically, the critters have become much more aggressive.
Residents talked about being “stalked” and “terrorized” by coyotes. One said she felt like a “hostage” to coyotes in her own home. They said coyotes have jumped over 6-foot patio walls to get to dogs and entered homes through doggie doors. A few spoke emotionally about their furry loved ones being attacked and killed by the predators.
“Everywhere we go, we encounter coyotes,” said resident Jack Leever. “You meet one, you’re in trouble – three, you’re dead. … We lived near Mt. Baldy before and had coyotes, but they were not as aggressive as they are here.”
Several residents called for relocating or even killing the coyotes.
The answer to that was a definitive no. Displaced or dead coyotes would only be replaced by larger numbers of new ones that would also produce larger litters, Elliott said.
What’s more, the newcomers, unfamiliar with their new hunting grounds and the established “rules of the road,” might wreak more havoc on their environments than the old crew.
Furthermore, displacing them would be a sure death sentence because, when they are relocated into already established coyote territory, they would be killed as intruders or competitors.
How about spay, neuter and release, like folks do with feral cats?
No to that, too. Again, Elliott said, the coyotes in the Village would eventually die off and new ones would come in.
There are times when coyotes are indeed killed, Horne said in an email. Even so, that comes with risks.
“It is not the city, but our Animal Services specialist, an abatement contractor,” the mayor said. “Coyote abatement is undertaken when conditions warrant to disrupt patterns of aggressive behavior. Abatement can only occur periodically as research shows that aggressive abatement can actually increase the coyote population.”
Several residents said real estate agents should warn prospective buyers about the coyotes, one saying that she would not have bought in the Village if she had known about the problem.
“This is a dangerous environment to have a dog,” a resident said.
Bill Reinhardt, 87, a Village resident for 10-plus years, was visibly emotional and angry when he spoke at the town hall. He said his wife of 27 years died in late 2023, and his only companion has been his white bichon, Charlie.
“Charlie kept me alive by his companionship,” Reinhardt said in a phone interview after the meeting. “I’m terrified of losing this dog because he’s my life.”
He said he is outraged that apparently nobody can or is willing to do anything about coyotes in the Village.
“Nobody is looking to solve the problem. They just keep kicking the can down the road,” he said. “All they talk about is this laundry list of whistles, airhorns, screaming, a shorter leash. …
“They put the onus on an 80-year-old woman who can barely walk.”
Caryn Goot has walked her two dogs, one weighing 65 pounds and the other 30 pounds, for the last three years and has had several coyote sightings and one close encounter with not just one but three coyotes.
“One was walking in the middle of the street, and the others were on the sidewalk opposite me,” she recalled in a phone interview. “I tried stopping and making noise, but that did not seem to faze them. Only when a car came up the street did they disperse. I really did not know what to do, but after the car passed, I hurried home.”
Having vision problems, she expressed concern for residents with disabilities who have pets.
“A very good friend of mine had a greyhound who was attacked twice by coyotes, once by one and another time by two coyotes,” she said. “I agree with people who say they feel captive in their homes.”
Others who spoke at the meeting agreed that keeping pets safe from coyotes is up to the owner.
“We as residents need to be responsible for our pets,” said a resident who lost her cat. “I do not chide the coyotes. I chide myself for not heeding warnings. Vigilance is the key.”
William Nusse, a five-year resident, recalled having at least five encounters with coyotes in two weeks, attributing the large number to the local wealth of squirrels and rabbits.
“I walk my dog every day between eight and nine in the morning, but feel safe because I have reconstructed my dog’s harness and leash so they can’t get to him,” he said.
The most repeated piece of advice at the town hall was: “If you see something, say something.”
Residents were encouraged to report coyote sightings to Animal Control and let Village security know about folks who let their pets roam off-leash, leave pet food outside and feed coyotes.
Report coyote sightings/activity to Laguna Beach police at 949-497-0701 or email coyotes@lagunabeachcity.net. Call Village security at 949-580-1400.