Wildlife on campus

Credit: Jieyu Zheng

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Credit: Jieyu Zheng

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Special event: Would you like to learn more about how to interact with coyotes in Pasadena? Drop in at the Red Door cafe patio outside Caltech's Hameetman Center on Friday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn from experts in the Pasadena Public Health Department and Pasadena Humane Society.

Valley coyotes are native to our region and have always had a presence in the city, but Pasadena residents have perceived growth in the coyote population in recent years. Yards and other natural and landscaped areas provide habitat (food, water, shelter, and space) for coyotes. Urban coyotes have also learned to take advantage of the ample human-associated foods, such as pet food, garbage, birdseed, fallen fruit, and compost piles.

While coyotes are generally harmless, there have been some reports of conflicts, and we ask that all members of the Caltech community remain aware of their surroundings, maintain a distance from wild animals, and exercise caution.

Please report any concerning coyote interactions or close approaches on campus to Caltech Security at this online form or by calling (626) 395-5000.

Prompt reporting helps Caltech effectively communicate coyote concerns to the Pasadena Public Health Department and Pasadena Humane Society.

You can also report encounters directly to the City of Pasadena at its Service Center and (626) 744-7311.

If you see coyotes closer than about four car-lengths away, please be cautious. Pasadena Public Health Department advises that these steps can help:

• Discourage coyotes from coming near. Pasadena Public Health Department's recommended hazing techniques help restore coyotes' natural avoidance of humans.
• Keep dogs on a six-foot or shorter leash and within your control
• Make and maintain eye contact. Do NOT turn your back and run.
• Be big and loud to scare coyotes. Consider using a stick or opening and closing an umbrella.
• If a coyote is not retreating, give it space and report the encounter.
• If you're accompanied by a dog, create distance between you and the coyote and slowly exit the area, then report the encounter.

A healthy avoidance between coyotes and people and their pets keeps everyone safer. When humans train away coyotes' avoidance by directly or accidentally feeding them, harmful conflicts arise.

• Never feed coyotes; it causes them to approach people for food and be reactive to dogs.
• Do not feed squirrels, turtles, or other wildlife. Feeding wildlife is illegal.
• Never leave food outside for pets or feral animals.
• Keep garbage secure.
• Pick up fallen fruit.
• If you have pets, leave cats and small dogs indoors when you aren't with them (outdoors, they are vulnerable to coyotes, hawks, owls, and raccoons)

Coyotes mate for life and live in small families that defend territories, keeping other families out. They have pups in the spring. The teenage pups leave the territory in the late summer and fall. One or two sometimes stay with the parents. Coyotes hunt alone or sometimes in pairs, not in packs.

Here are some of the things that Caltech Facilities staff members do to prevent coyotes from denning on campus and getting unnatural food:

• Trim up shrubs to minimize hiding places
• Maintain fences and fill in scrapes and potential den sites
• Keep dining patios clean
• Tidy up quickly after events
• Pick up fallen fruit
• Remove trash and litter promptly

If you see unattended, overflowing trash or other sources of food, please alert Facilities staff at this email.

According to the Pasadena Public Health Department, the fundamental problem with trapping coyotes is that it backfires, increasing the coyote population. Coyotes live in families, and when a parent is removed, the family's fertility increases. If an entire family is removed, teenage pups from adjacent families claim the newly vacant territory. A more successful technique than trapping is limiting food, water, and habitat and training coyotes to keep their distance from humans. Coyotes can be trained and re-trained to stay away from people.

- Living with Coyotes, by the Pasadena Humane Society

- Urban wildlife management plan by the Pasadena Public Health Department

- An educational YouTube video about coyotes