December is Coyote Month!
Updated: Jan 26
December is Coyote month here at Calgary Wildlife! This month we will be posting about all things COYOTE related for your awareness and learning pleasure, including how a little knowledge goes a long way in co-existing safely with these amazing creatures!
Healthy ecosystems include predators and Calgary is home to numerous predators including the infamous Coyote. While it may seem odd to find these creatures right in town, rest assured they are quite comfortable living in the city and don't normally pose any risks to humans.
Fun Fact: Coyotes are vocal animals and usually communicate with each other via yelps, barks or howls, but they'll also use scents and visual signals too.
Stay tuned for more information about these cunning creatures coming all this month.
Did you know that coyotes have a natural fear of humans and do not normally pose a threat to people unless they become habituated?
It is very important not to feed coyotes!
Easily accessible food waste attracts wildlife. Keep clever coyotes hunting in the wild by ensuring garbage, compost, and recycling are in secure bins.
If coyotes are seen regularly in your yard, they are probably finding food sources there. To deter coyotes from taking up residence in and around your yard, remove all food sources, even natural ones, such as fallen fruit or berries, birdseed, and dog feces. This goes for public parks as well! Scoop up poop!
Help us keep coyotes wild and reduce human-coyote conflict!
Did you know that coyotes provide great pest control? Or that they are incredibly fast runners? This makes them very helpful, and so for our last coyote month post, let's celebrate the coyote!
The coyote is an expert hunter of all sorts of rodents and rabbits, which makes it a helpful species to have around for pest control. Coyotes can keep mouse, vole, and ground squirrel populations at bay, preventing all sorts of overpopulation issues in our urban areas.
Coyotes are great hunters thanks to their ability to run really fast! Generally coyotes amble at a dog's normal walking speed. However, they can reach speeds of 56-69 km/h when pursuing prey or fleeing danger. This makes them about twice as fast as their cartoonish counterpart, the roadrunner, and a similar speed to a racing greyhound.
Fun Fact: Coyote's walk and run on their tip-toes, touching the ground with only their toes, in what is known as digit-grading.
Help us continue to care for injured and orphaned coyotes by donating today!