The city hires a hunter to catch and kill the "nuisance" coyotes after a confirmed pet attack in Wauwatosa. The city announced last month that coyote traps would be set up, and now animal rights advocates and experts are asking officials to reconsider Wauwatosa's coyote policy.
Milwaukee animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere joined residents outside the city library on February 25 to protest the lethal measures, which experts say are ineffective and counterproductive.
"First of all, removing the coyotes doesn't solve the conflict problem," said Wauwatosa conservationist Megan Scott. "Eventually we have to learn to live with them because it will continue."
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The traps were set after the owner reported his dog was bitten by a coyote late last year
In October, the dog needed stitches after the owner discovered three puncture wounds on the Lab's back, according to a Wauwatosa police report. Although the homeowner did not witness the incident, he told police he likely saw and felt the bite many times in his backyard.
© Quinn Clark / Now News Group This month, Wauwatosa posted a message on the Fisher Woods Neighborhood Association Facebook group informing residents that a trapper trapper will set up traps on a public works property in response to an attack by coyote confirmed. According to a Wauwatosa police report, the coyote attack occurred in October 2022.When police contacted the pet's owner this month, she said her husband had to rescue the dog several weeks ago because there were several coyotes in her yard, the report said.
In accordance with policy and the Wauwatosa Coyote Intrusion Response Plan created by the local council in 2016, the city then contacted Recon Trapping, a local wildlife removal service, to place traps on nearby public property.
Eva Ennomarato, communications manager for Wauwatosa, said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources had sent a scout trap into the city.
Last year, the same hunter killed five coyotes for Wauwatosa after a fatal dog attack.
Coyote traps are not lethal; But having caught the animal, the hunter shot it.
The city does not need immortal guidelines of its policy
© City of Wauwatosa Non-lethal methods of reducing coyote encounters are listed on page 17 of the Wauwatosa Coyote Aggression and Response Plan Policy. While recommended, it is not required or tested before lethal measures are taken.Wauwatosa's coyote policy includes preventing non-fatal coyote attacks. She recommends removing attractants, such as food and water sources, and keeping pets under control.
The city also recommends "chasing" or scaring coyotes by yelling, making noises, or using predator scents.
However, the policy does not require residents to follow these guidelines before taking lethal action.
“We do not verify any reports of attempted violence or make sure food is unavailable,” Ennomarato said.
Enomarate said the city would not hire a hunter if a pet was attacked while on the loose and outside its owner's home.
How to ban people from feeding wild animals was discussed Feb. 28 in the city liaison committee.
Research shows that prevention should take precedence over lethal measures
Madison researcher Francisco J. Santiago Avila is the science and conservation officer for the national nonprofit Coyote Project.
Research shows that the prevention methods listed in the city's policy are more effective than catching and killing, Santiago-Avila said, so lethal measures must be taken before they are used.
“(Residents) may not even be inclined to do their part and participate in these mitigation efforts if they know it is a matter of complaining to the city and that the city will use lethal methods,” Santiago-Avila said.
Killing coyotes creates a "space gap" that allows more coyotes, younger and less experienced, to enter, leading to more conflict.
“Overall, if you keep this up, the long-term result will be more coyote deaths and more pet attacks,” Santiago-Avila said.
Also, setting traps doesn't guarantee that a real "nuisance" coyote will be killed, he said.
Santiago-Avila said he knows some are reluctant to go to the extra effort to implement anti-smog measures or remove the attractants. Still, learning to live with coyotes is a real long-term solution, she said.
"I think a lot can be done to encourage good human behavior that we know is effective in mitigating these problems through scientific research alone," he said.
Opponents say Wauwatosa should follow Milwaukee County's plan
Milwaukee resident Lisa Castagnosi of Direct Action Everywhere and the Milwaukee Animal Rights Network helped organize the February 25 protests. While reading the city's guidelines, he asked which department specifically approved the capture. He said he has not received a definitive response from the city.
"The city does not have an animal control facility," Enomarato told the Journal Sentinel. “Depending on who received the initial report, multiple officers from different departments review the incident report and confirm a confirmed pet attack.”
Megan Scott, who lives in Fisher Woods, Wauwatosa, also helped organize the protest. He said he sees coyotes roaming his neighborhood and tries to stop them when he sees them in his backyard taking the bait.
"[Coyotes] are a key part of our urban ecology and ecosystem, so they can't be removed," Scott said. "I think everyone should live together. It's natural and you can't control an animal's fate for your own good."
Both Castanozzi and Scott said they want Wauwatosa to revise its policy to resemble Milwaukee County's urban coyote management plan.
The Milwaukee County plan favors non-lethal measures and does not allow traps "unless there is an immediate human health and/or safety concern," such as a verified attack on a person.
"Now that there are a lot of problem coyotes, we understand there may be other steps we can take, but overall we need to learn to live with them," Scott said.
Coyote attacks on humans are rare, and Enamarata said there hasn't been an increase in coyote complaints this year. Coyote sightings increase in the winter because it's their mating season.
Read more: How dangerous are coyotes? Attacks on adults are rare, but children and pets are at risk.
Additional Information: The animal seen in Wauwatosa was a coyote, not a wolf, according to the DNR. How to distinguish.
Quinn Clark can be reached by email at QClark@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark .
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: In Wauwatosa, residents and animal rights activists discuss how to deal with pesky coyotes.
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