Coyotes have become a threat to public safety in Seal Beach Leisure World, according to Councilman Michael Levitt.
Coyotes have long been a threat to Seal Beach pets, but coyotes present a unique problem to residents of the private senior community.
Levitt mentioned the Leisure World coyote problem at a recent City Council meeting.
Levitt said he has asked city staff to talk to Orange County Flood Control about putting up rebar in the Leisure World flood channel to allow water to pass through but not coyotes. He and the manager of Long Beach Animal Care Services recently looked for their access points to Leisure World.
Levitt said there are a lot of elderly people in Leisure World who have small dogs and cats for pets. The residents take their small pets for walks at dusk. That is the coyote’s feeding time.
As previously reported, this is the season when coyotes are feeding their pups.
According to Levitt, part of Leisure World’s coyote problem is that many of the women who live there are frail individuals in their 80s, some in their 90s. They are not big enough to fight with a coyote that tries to take their pet.
Levitt said that in the process of fighting the coyote or holding onto the leash, those women could fall down and be injured.
Levitt said he has heard about seven incidents, but he hasn’t checked to learn how many incidents have been reported to Leisure World Security.
In one incident he knew of, Levitt said a woman opened her door to take her dog out for a walk. A coyote was apparently waiting on the porch—and took him.
“I have been followed by coyotes when I walk my dog,” Levitt said.
Once, a coyote blocked his wife’s access to their door.
Levitt and Ted Stevens, manager of Long Beach Animal Care Services—the agency that Seal Beach hired to provide animal control services—recently scouted Leisure World to find out how the canines are getting into the community.
Stevens and Levitt both said the coyotes appear to have two or three access points to Leisure World.
Levitt said one family of coyotes seems to be coming off Gum Grove Park. Some are coming from Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach.
Stevens said that the bike trail is one potential entry point for coyotes. Like Levitt, he cited the flood control channel as a way for coyotes to enter Leisure World.
According to Levitt, coyotes are using the flood control channel in Leisure World.
However, he doesn’t know where they are getting in. He has asked Leisure World residents to contact him if they see coyotes coming from the flood control channel onto the street.
Stevens said it was possible coyotes were living in Leisure World, but he also said that was just speculation on his part. Stevens said that generally, coyotes prefer to spend their time in natural areas—they don’t like urban areas.
Levitt said that he believed only the food supply limited the growth of the coyote population. They don’t face any natural enemies here.
“We prefer having a healthy co-existence with coyotes,” Stevens said.
He said coyotes help keep down the populations of the small mammals they normally eat—rats, gophers and rabbits.
Stevens said the best way to deal with coyotes during the daytime is to haze them—that is, to harass them so they will learn to be afraid of human beings. (You may see a video on “How to Haze a Coyote” at www.sunnews.org.)
Last year, at a coyote awareness meeting in Old Town, Stevens and other experts recommended hazing coyotes and keeping pets, pet food and water indoors as ways to discourage coyotes from entering human neighborhoods.
Levitt apparently believes Leisure World’s rabbit population is a main food source for coyotes. Historically, efforts to remove rabbits have not been successful. When rabbits were trapped, some residents would set them free.
As for coyotes, Levitt said animal control will not respond to normal coyote behavior. However, there have been reports of coyotes napping in a Leisure World laundry room and that is something Long Beach Animal Care Services will respond to.
Stevens said that if a coyote is in an area people would normally be in, such as a porch, then ACS will come out.
But he said there is not much ACS can do if a coyote is simply going down the street. By the time an animal control officer arrives, the coyote would be gone.
Stevens also suggested residents buy “Spray Shield,” a chemical spray specifically designed for canines—and coyotes are canines. Stevens said “Spray Shield” was non-toxic to humans.
Stevens said education was Animal Care Services’ main focus for dealing with coyotes.
