Reports and Studies 2014 Review: 1975 Environment of Kiawah Report | Page 16

Summary & Analysis of the 1975 Kiawah Environmental Report  young have not yet dispersed. Coyotes are omnivorous and will eat a wide variety of prey items, including: muscadine grapes, acorns, persimmons, rodents, rabbits, and deer fawns. Coyotes and People Coyotes are not a threat to people. Coyotes have a natural fear of people and will not approach people unless they have been accustomed to being fed. Residents should never feed coyotes or leave pet food outdoors after dark. Coyotes and Pets On rare occasions, coyotes will prey on unattended domestic pets. Pet predation is usually due to the territorial nature of the coyote or a lack of available prey. Keep unattended pets indoors after dark. In the unlikely event that you encounter a coyote while walking your dog, you should make plenty of noise and raise your arms to be sure the coyote is aware of your presence. You should also keep your leashed pet as close to you as possible or pick up your pet if it is small enough to easily do so. Coyote Monitoring Town Biologists have been monitoring the island’s coyote population since 2009. Efforts are focused in 3 main areas as detailed below. 1.  Monitor abundance and distribution on the island using sightings from residents and visitors. Please report all coyote sightings by sending an email to [email protected]. 2.  onitor any and all human/coyote or pet/coyote conflicts that may M arise. 3.  Monitor any negative impacts to other wildlife species (bobcats, sea turtles, nesting shorebirds, etc.) Coyote Research Town Biologists are currently monitoring habitat use and behavior of coyotes using GPS collars. This research provides detailed data on the type of habitat coyotes are using, movement patterns, food sources, and much more. Learning as much as we can about this new arrival is vital to developing a longterm management program for the species if and when it becomes necessary. One male coyote was collared during 2013 and he spent the majority of his time in undeveloped areas on the eastern end of the island. Biologists hope to collar 2 more coyotes in early 2014. Coyote Management In a perfect world, we would remove all the coyotes from the island. Unfortunately, this is not a viable option. Coyotes are very intelligent and difficult to trap or shoot and it would be impossible to eradicate them from the island. In addition, the wholesale killing of coyotes simply causes them to produce more offspring and voids are quickly filled by coyotes from adjacent areas. The current management strategy is to monitor problems and respond specifically to these problems if and when they arise. For example, if coyotes begin to depredate lots of sea turtle nests, we would develop a program to mitigate the issue. This program might include special screens for nests, night patrols to locate and protect nests before depredation occurs, and even shooting or trapping (in specific problem areas). Revised: May 2014_REV 8 Page 16