Arcadia, wildlife groups at odds on coyotes

ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- Arcadia officials said they have taken necessary steps to protect residents from coyotes wandering city streets. But wildlife groups said there are better ways to handle the situation.

Fifteen coyotes have been trapped and killed in Arcadia since a major fire in the area last year apparently caused them to come out from the wild to roam the streets. They're turning up in neighborhoods were they had rarely been seen before.

After receiving numerous complaints from residents, the city hired a company to trap and kill wandering coyotes.

"We were overwhelmed with people saying we are corned with coyotes in our community, we're concerned about our animals," said Arcadia Mayor Peter Amundson. "A few people mentioned to us, we have lost our animal, but we don't want to lose our children."

Wildlife protection groups and many residents say using snares to trap coyotes is inhumane.

"There are so many things that you can do to prevent them from coming into your yard," said Arcadia resident Jane Josenhans. "There are better ways of doing it."

A meeting was held Tuesday to educate the community about coexisting with coyotes.

It included tips on how to make neighborhoods less attractive to coyotes, such as using trash cans with lids on them, not feeding the coyotes and picking up food from the ground.

Amundson said trapping is not intended to be a long-term solution. He also said several thousand brochures have been sent to residents with information on how to keep coyotes away from their homes.

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