Project Objectives
We are using a citizen science based approach to understand how humans and coyotes are interacting in Edmonton, and the results of this study could have serious implications for coyote management, public policy and public safety. A better understanding of when and where humans and coyotes are co-occurring can help advise wildlife managers and policy to establish rules and protocols to minimize conflict.
Scientific QUestions
- Where are coyote reports occurring in the City of Edmonton?
- Do reports cluster in certain neighbourhoods over others?
- Are reports more likely to occur in certain habitat types?
- When are coyote reports occurring in the City of Edmonton?
- What time of day and during which seasons do reports occur?
- Over the past nine years have potentially dangerous coyote encounters (perceived human-coyote interaction) become more common compared to sightings (no perceived interaction)?
Expected Results
- Coyote reports are expected to cluster within certain neighbourhoods that have higher proximity to natural areas and wildlife corridors, such as the North Saskatchewan river. Murray and St. Clair (2017) found that coyotes were drawn to certain backyards over others, and if neighbourhoods differ in the level of accessible shelter and anthropogenic food this may contribute to clustering. Coyote reports are also expected to cluster in natural areas, as coyotes have been shown to avoid areas associated with high human use such as residential and industrial areas (Gehrt et al., 2009; Poessel et al., 2016)
- Coyote reports are expected to be highest in evening and at night, as urban coyotes are reported to be primarily nocturnal to avoid humans (Grubbs and Krausman, 2009; Poessel et al., 2016). A seasonal trend in coyote reports is likely, as Lukasik et al. (2011) and White and Gehrt (2009) reported that human-coyote conflict was most common during pup-rearing season.
- It is difficult to predict whether the number of encounters compared to sightings will have increased over the duration of report collection. Anecdotally, many members of the public report increasingly bold coyote behaviour, blaming coyote feeding and a lack of wildlife management for this perceived change in coyote behaviour. There are a variety of factors that could contribute to an increase or decrease in the number of potentially dangerous encounters (Figure 2), adding to the complexity of the situation.