Living With Wildlife

Coyotes

Coyotes naturally occur in the western U.S. As a result of urban sprawl, they can come into close contact with people. There are relatively few conflicts due to coyotes avoiding humans. However, as a result of intentional and unintentional feeding of wildlife, as well as off-leash or unattended dogs, conflicts may occur. In those instances, WildEarth Guardians recommends people taking responsibility: secure trash, don't leave petfood outside or small pets unattended, keep dog(s) under strict leash or voice control, keep cats indoors, ensure that bird feeders are not attracting coyotes, and never feed a coyote. If coyotes become too habituated, scare them away with loud noises. With these easy steps, almost all - if not all - conflicts with coyotes can be avoided.

Coyotes have long been persecuted by people in North America. In response, they have increased their range three-fold. This is partly due to the extensive elimination of wolves, which historically kept coyote populations in check. Coyotes are also resilient: when persecuted, more of the surviving coyotes may breed, and they may produce larger litters. They play important ecosystem roles, holding smaller predators (such as foxes and even domestic cats) in check, for the benefit of birds and small animals. WildEarth Guardians promotes respect for coyotes and other wildlife and progressive, non-lethal approaches to coyote issues. This fascinating "song-dog" should be celebrated, not persecuted.

For more information about our strides to protect coyotes in Colorado, visit letlimpylive.com.

To view our coyote factsheet, which describes coyote behavior and how to co-exist with these "song dogs," click here.

Mountain lions

Mountain lions (also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers) are integral to the health of the West’s ecosystems. As a top predator, evidence suggests that they are a key species within their ecosystems whose effect is felt far beyond their interaction with prey. They range across the western United States, generally preferring to live and hunt in habitat that provides ambush opportunities, such as ponderosa parks and red rock canyon country. Wherever there is a deer or elk population, pumas are probably not far away.

Pumas live in expansive “home ranges” because their favorite prey—deer and elk—are spread thinly across the West’s arid landscape. The home range of male cougars often exceeds 100 square miles. Lions are secretive. Contact between humans and lions is quite rare, although more frequent as development shrinks lion habitat in the Intermountain West.

Pumas have only a few offspring (if any) during a year, and kittens face high mortality rates— both factors that contribute to their fragile populations. A mother cat spends 11 to 24 months raising her kittens, yet few cats reach adulthood (even in populations where humans do not hunt them).  Take common sense precautions while living or recreating in lion country such as traveling in groups of two or more on hiking trails, fencing children’s play areas, and keeping pets indoors at dawn, dusk, and nighttime.

Download our New Mexico Lion Smart brochure.

Download our Montana Mountain Lion Smart brochure.

Download our Montana Mountain Lion Smart for Hunters brochure.

Bears

Bears first. With an olfactory sense seven times stronger than a bloodhound’s, a bear can sniff a carcass, a ripe garbage can, or greasy barbecue grill from miles away! If you live in bear country, make your garbage inaccessible. Put cans out just before pick-up time (not the night before) in bear-resistant containers. Other common-sense measures for residents include cleaning barbeque grills, storing them indoors when not in use, and not attracting bears to homes by leaving seeds and fruits in bird feeders, especially over night. When camping, hang food, toiletries, and trash at least ten feet from the ground and four feet from the base of the tree. When hiking, travel in groups and make noise.

Intentionally feeding bears, or leaving food, grills, or pet food outside in bear country can lead to steep fines from local ordinances or from state statutes. The bear may fare far worse. Under Colorado’s two-strike policy, for example, if a bear enters an urban area or breaks into a home, the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) will ear-tag and tattoo the bear’s lip. If caught a second time, the DOW is mandated to kill the bear. Thankfully, some officers do attempt to keep from killing a problem bear, but bears stay out of trouble only when we help them.