Coyotes in Orange County

We just want our families, children and pets to be safe

Most Recent Posts

You are here: Home / Archives for Orange County, What's Up / Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach petition

by 3 Comments

Petition

 Click Here For Petition:   Petition

 

After the second attack, homeowner Samantha Kelley,  goes door to door getting signatures for action to be taken in the Coyote Issue in Huntington Beach.   This is not the first time this homeowner has gone door to door, this has happened before.      This last incident going into the $10,000 range in vet bills.

Many people in this area have had their pets killed.  A year ago,  Sept. 2013, the news covered the story of another homeowner in this area whose dog was attacked.   Momo, a miniature pincher, underwent surgery at the hospital for at least two-dozen bites, located primarily around her stomach.

Kiki, Samantha’s beloved dog, was not that lucky.   December of 2010, a Coyote jumped into their yard killing Kiki.

Now, a second time, she was having to watch in horror another loved family member fight for its life after being mutilated by a coyote.    Lucy, the most recent dog attacked was not out running the streets.   She was not even out in the backyard unattended.   She was escorted out by the her owners.   The coyote lay in wait, and before their eyes, grabbed the dogs out from the shadows and shrubbery.   Risking himself, the owner tried to scare the coyote away.  The coyote did not scare easy, but the homeowner did  not backdown as he had to get the coyote away to save the life of his dog.   Thank goodness he was not harmed and Lucy survived.

Please support Samantha.

Below is the petition requesting the City of Huntington Beach to respond and take action.

 

Petition

 

 Click Here For Petition:   Petition

 

Photos of Kiki and Lucy

 

 

 

Petition

 Click Here For Petition:   Petition

 

Notice from the city of Huntington Beach

by 6 Comments

As per our petition and city council meeting plea, the city has put together a brochure for the awareness.   The did not ever contact me regarding the message as promised.   So, this message is purely what they chose to state.

I wish they would have mentioned that it is not safe for a child to walk a dog.    I also wish they would have made it clearer just how aggressive these coyotes are.

Comments welcome.

http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/announcements/attachments/coyote%20trifold.pdf

 

 

Correspondence to the city of Huntington Beach

by Leave a Comment

Attached is the correspondence via the SurfCity Pipeline.   The Lt. has responded as we know, the police dept has been stuck in the middle of this issue and been made to smooth things over for the City of HB and the Department of Fish and Game,  and they have to do this with their hands tied.   So,  I would like to state that attacking the police department is like taking it out on the guy that the boss assigned him the task that no one wants.  Its not the police departments issue,  its the City of Huntington Beach, The Orange County Animal Services and the Department of Fish and Game.   So, please, I ask,  do not take this out on our police department.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Coyotes InOrangeCounty >
Date: Tue, Oct 30, 2012 at 8:38 AM
Subject: Re: Surf City Pipeline: Closed Request # 12674 [6363653837356364]
To: Surf City Pipeline <surfcity@user.govoutreach.com>

Dear Lt. Steve Bushhousen,


Thank you for your response.   Let me state that I am sorry that the police department has been stuck in the middle of this mess.  I am sure you didnt think that you would become head of the Wile Coyote Department, and for that I think our city owes you a big apology.  I mean this with only respect, sir. 

Please let all the folks you liason with understand,  I have seen all these videos, links, etc.  That is because I was looking for them.  Had I not looked for this information, it would not be found.  The city should still put notices in the water and electric bills.  Costa Mesa is just now starting to do this.   For those moving to the area, they are caught blindsided.  Its not right.  

As for the hazing, the fear,  please have them read the reports.  You will see that education will not stop a person being fearful when they find their toddler standing eye to eye with a coyote or for the grandma that is being stalked as she walks her grandchild with a dog.  What is worse, the people have lost all faith in this city.  They dont call it in.  They know that the city will not do anything.  The people are stating this over and over again.  So, as for the coyotes that have lost fear,  they continue to grow braver as the people are not reporting it to any of the agencies.
Lets hope there isn’t a report of a coyote biting a person of Huntington Beach.   Lets not make it for there to be a child hurt before something is done.

Please sir,  read the reports that I attached.  Have the people that you liason to read them.  

Please keep in mind, that outside the city limits Dept of Fish and Game allows them to shoot as many as you want.  Its only in the urban areas that they tell us to co-exist.  So, these experts seem to be playing a game.  In their natural environment, where balance should occur, they shoot them unlimited.  Here where its not natural, there are no predators,  they state to co-exist.   And if you Google the issue, its coming up all over the country in cities, so somehow I am not seeing the light, or in other words,  I don’t see that it is successful. 

As the people state,  they have better luck reporting a dog bite than a coyote bite on a dog.  Why is it that more attention is paid when a dog bites another dog than when a coyote eats another dog or cat?  If we had people call in every time this happens, so the numbers compete, would that make a difference on whether something was done?  I mean, if it was a dog, they would address the situation.  If its a coyote, they do nothing, in fact they charge you to pick up the remains, otherwise they would not even visit the location.
As for the snare issue.  Well, there is another issue and that is the number of people that are fed up with the issue being ignored and grieving for the loss of their pet, they are taking matters into their own hands with guns, b-b guns, and cross bows.  Not me of course, I am half crippled.   But, even if its just rumor,  eventually some grief ridden person may just do something like this.  People are losing their family members in their eyes.  A pet is a family member.   The city has become safer for the coyotes than for the people who pay taxes.   I cannot allow my child to walk the dog,  is that co-existing or that letting the coyotes have free run of the city and the people being caged in like animals?   Is it safe for our children to play outside?  Or should co-existing mean that we cage our children to our house?
I sincerely thank you for relaying this information to the appropriate departments and for your service.
Carolyn Matthews

On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 4:33 PM, Surf City Pipeline <surfcity@user.govoutreach.com> wrote:

 

—If replying by email, enter your reply above this line—

Dear Carolyn,Your request # 12674 has been resolved with the resolution:
Carolyn Matthews,
Thank you for your concern about coyote activity in Huntington Beach.  I am the liaison for animal control issues between the City of Huntington Beach, Orange County Animal Care (OCAC) and the California State Department of Fish & Game (DFG).  I have forwarded the information you reported to the OCAC and DFG.
It is obvious by your email that you feel the City hasn’t been doing anything about educating its citizens about coyote issues.  However, educating our residents is an important part of our strategy.  Last year we added a coyote information page on our city website and it has been promoted via Facebook and Twitter.  The webpage is updated as new information is obtained.  This information will also been included in the November issue of the Neighborhood Watch Newsletter.  We have conducted neighborhood meetings with wildlife experts in the past.  Most recently in August 2012, an urban wildlife specialist from the Humane Society of the United States in Washington DC came to Huntington Beach to give a presentation about living with coyotes.  The presentation was recorded and has been broadcasted on the local “Channel-3” cable station. It is also available for your viewing anytime on our website and on YouTube.  I encourage you to watch the presentation at your leisure.  It
provides very useful information and tips on dealing with coyotes in our suburban environment.  Hopefully, more people in our community can get informed by viewing this information. We have also contacted Orange County Public Works in an effort to have overgrown brush areas in the local flood control channels trimmed back to limit hiding areas and dens. Additionally, I provide a monthly report to OCAC and DFG of all coyote-related calls received by our Police Dispatch Center.
Trapping has been another strategy that the City has used in the past and may elect to do again in the future.  However, trapping can be dangerous to domestic animals, like cats and dogs, as well as humans, especially children.  Wildlife experts have told us that trapping or eradicating coyote populations can lead to other problems, such as an increase in the rodent population (rats, mice and rabbits, for example), and can actually lead to higher numbers of coyotes. This is because coyotes from other areas move in and over-breed to fill the vacuum and take advantage of the now more abundant numbers of natural food sources causing coyote numbers to actually increase rather than decrease.
You mentioned in your email that people are afraid. A great way to overcome fear is education.  Hopefully our citizens can educate themselves about living with coyotes in our suburban environment by visiting our city web page.  Since we started keeping track of animal-related calls, here is an interesting statistic: In the past 12 months, we received 18 reports of pets (cats and dogs) that were attacked by coyotes while during those same 12 months, OCAC received 88 reports of pets (cats and dogs) that were attacked by dogs.  Also, there has never been a report of a coyote biting a person in Huntington Beach while there were 195 reports of dogs biting people in the city last year alone.
Coyotes are a part of our community as well as all communities in California, even very urban communities.  This is because coyotes are quite adaptable and are attracted to residential neighborhoods for many different reasons.  Most of the time, they are attracted by humans, whether on purpose or not.  This is usually due to readily available food sources, such as pet food being left outside by a well meaning cat or dog owner.  Not only can pet food be an easy meal for a coyote, but the food also attracts rodents which in turn attracts coyotes.  Even something as innocent as a bird feeder will do the same thing.  Uncovered trash cans, fruit trees, and overgrown plants and bushes are attractants because they can provide food and shelter for coyotes.
Unfortunately, sometimes food is deliberately provided by people who like to watch wildlife or by those who feel they are helping the animals by feeding them.  If you see these types of attractants in your neighborhood, please help us and educate your neighbors on this issue or feel free to point them to our website which has links to urban coyote information. Limiting these attractants can reduce the number of coyotes in a neighborhood.
Generally, coyotes are reclusive animals that avoid human contact.  However, coyotes that have adapted to urban and suburban environments may realize there are few real threats and may approach people or feel safe visiting areas, even when people are present.  These coyotes have become “habituated” (lost their fear of humans).  Habituated coyotes may even approach people for handouts.  These bold coyotes should neither be tolerated nor enticed, and definitely be given the message that they are not welcome.
You mentioned that “hazing” doesn’t work. As you know, hazing is a method that makes use of deterrents to move an animal out of an area, discourage an undesirable behavior or reinstill the natural fear of humans back into coyotes.  It is often as simple as making yourself loud (by yelling or using noisemakers) and large (by standing tall and waving your arms).  Hazing can help maintain a coyote’s fear of humans and deter them from neighborhood spaces, such as backyards and play areas.  Experts have told us that other communities throughout the country have successfully used hazing to reverse undesirable behavior in their coyote populations.  We should listen to the advice and count on the experience of experts in these fields.
Thank you for your inquiry and I hope you will help us educate your neighbors in how to deal with coyotes they may encounter in the city.  I have placed several links below regarding coyote issues.  Please take a look at them at your convenience and thank you again for your inquiry.
http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/i_want_to/coyote-info.cfm
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/coyote.html
http://egov.ocgov.com/vgnfiles/ocgov/OC%20Animal%20Care/Docs/regulatory/coyotes.pdf
http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/announcements/attachments/preventing-coyote-conflicts.pdf
http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/announcements/attachments/coyote-hazing-guidelines.pdf
http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/residents/videos/hbtv3/coyote-meeting.cfm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_rhZcX0GyA
Sincerely,
Lt. Steve Bushhousen
Huntington Beach Police Department
Traffic/Aero Bureau
 714-536-5661
sbushhousen@hbpd.org
www.hbpd.org

This is in reference to the Question on Police – All reassigned inquiries to the PD you submitted on 10/22/2012  9:50 PM
Description:

Attached are reports of  what is coming in regarding the coyote issue from the residents of Orange County.  Most are from Huntington Beach.   Here is the link:  https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B7V0P13qeMcMRUxOeHNDLW1KV2s/edit  As you can see,   ‘shooing’  aka  ‘hazing’ them is not working.   People are afraid.   Children are at risk.   Coyotes, no, not afraid.

This happened on the edge of HB, this pack of 4 is travelling between both cities.  http://www.coyotesinorangecounty.com/coyote-attack-4-coyotes-attack-dog-in-fountain-valley-home/

Are you going to wait till a child is attacked before you do anything.   These are the facts.  Please review them.

If you take away food, do you think they will sit politely and starve?    No, they will attack more pets,  which really is there food source, not a odd weiro feeding them.  They are daily eating our pets.   Daily stalking people.   Your fear should be what will happen if they get hungrier,  will a toddler be next.

As for the whole ticket someone who feeds them,  really, what is a ticket going to do?  Are you going to start monitoring people’s backyard?  Ticket for leaving food out for a cat?

I would like to address their food source too.   The fact that is, they have eaten all the cats.   You never see a cat in our neighborhood.  Because of that, we have rats.  Rats are all over the place at night,  we hear them climbing fences, see them on the wires, hear them in the shrubs.   No,  the coyotes are not eating them.  A dog or cat is much easier to catch and a heck of a better dinner for the effort.  Never before have we had such an issue, there is no trash around here either.   This is a clean neighborhood.

So, sorry, none of these plans of food or hazing would work, unless you got every single person in HB on board, and that will never happen.   You will never get every single person to haze a coyote.   Most people will freeze and watch them.   As you saw, the people that state they hazed the animals, they didnt seem scared.

I had a report that the children at a bus stop and a toddler on the other side of the street.  The mom had her eye on the other child at the bus stop.  When she turned, guess what was looking at the toddler,  yes, a coyote.

There was another report of a grandma pushing a toddler in a stroller with a little dog.  She had to be rescued by another driver as a coyote was stalking her.

At the VERY least there should be notices in the water and electric bills.   You cant expect people to protect themselves if they are not aware.  Yes,  people are still being taken off guard, they are not aware.   Imaging moving to this area, and no notice,  your pet is killed and left for your children to find.  This could of been prevented, but its not, because the city is failing to notify new residents.   Please, its time to take some sort of action, even if its just notifying people.

Think about what YOU would say to the parents if they lose their child to a coyote.  Would you say, sorry, we told people they would get a ticket, but the coyote didnt get the message.  Sorry, we said Boo, but it didnt seem they listened.  Think about it,  what are you going to say?

Thank you,
Carolyn Matthews
Coyotes In Orange County
www.CoyotesInOrangeCounty.com
Huntington Beach Resident

 

We are committed to providing you the best service we can.  We would
appreciate you filling out an online survey on how this request was
handled.  You can fill out the online survey by going to:
<http://user.GovOutreach.com/surfcity/survey.php?cid=1149056&access=6363653837356364>You may reply to this email to send a response or you can view this
request online at:
<http://user.GovOutreach.com/surfcity/case.php?id=1149056&access=6363653837356364>

 

 

YouTube – Videos from this email

Residents of Huntington Beach

by 9 Comments

This past week the amount of sightings and reports has really been bad.    The number of reports that are showing coyotes that have no fear of people are more than usual.   That people have hazed and they don’t run.   That they have no fear.

The City of Huntington Beach needs to do something!

The Animal Control used to come out when there was a wild animal on your property.  I know this because I had a family of possums run into my home and under my bed at night, and I had to call their after hours services to get them out in the middle of the night.   Now,  the city, county, state has juggled things around to create a maze and there is no one to get help from.   So, you call OC Animal Care and they only write down numbers (which they do not share).   They tell you that you can call the police, but they wont do anything.   We know this already from everyone else.   I mean, think about it, they are police officers, not animal trappers, hunters, catchers, or whatever.

Then you call fish and game and they say they do not even keep statistics, they only come out if you are about to die.

So,  they came up with a plan,  to pacify some people they have them call by into the police!  So they are  making the poor police officers take the phone call, yet they tie their hands so they cant do anything.

The rest of their plan was to pacify and confuse,  they send through the maze of places to call and get no where.   I believe their plan is working if you look at it on a city level.  If you look at it on a county level, like I have been doing, where coyotes are crossing cities,  you can see the big picture.   The big picture is there.   If a coyote is crossing borders of a city then you have no one to call that will come and address the issue of a coyote that is of danger and has lost all fear and is dangerous.

We need people in HB to get together.   To go to the city council, to let them know the situation.   The city of HB needs to do their part, they need to put notices in the water and electric bills, they need to put signs up at the parks, they need to clear the brush away from areas that are too close to residents, schools and parks.    They need to educate children in the school.  If they want us to live with wild animals, they need to do their part and educate people, and not try to hide the situation.   Yes City of HB,  I understand you dont want to put up signs in the neighborhoods because you are worried about property value.  Well, you cant have both.   You cant have people live with coyotes and not inform them or educate them.  This is one issue you cannot brush under the rug!   Its not going away!

Next, they need to clean up the mess they created by not educating people and remove the coyotes that have lost fear of humans, that are going up to children, that are attacking dogs right under people’s feet.   I dont understand personally why its okay to go and get puppies and kittens and put them down, but they think its okay to go and let coyotes run in our yards and threaten our lives.   This is  huge reply, and I have said a lot.  When you see all the reports that have come in this past week, and how dangerous the situations have been, I think all of you will understand why I have written all of this.

Now, if you are reading this and getting all mad because you are an animal lover, and animal rights activist.  Then just stop right there.  I too am an animal lover.  I dont want to see anything unnecessary harmed.  But, the City and the County have created this mess, not me.   They did it by not informing people, by not educating people, by not clearing the brush and by allowing these coyotes to get the upperhand and see our pets and children as their dinner.   They did this, not me.  The State of California, Fish and Game says…. hey, go ahead,  kill as many coyotes as you want.  Guess where?   The  place where they should have natural balance.   The rural areas!   Now,does that make sense to you?  NO.   They dont care about the coyotes,  they kill them and put no limit on it.   Yet when they are in the city…. they just let them be.   Now…. lets talk Federal,   federal law says that if a coyote is on a federal park and so much looks funny at a human being, lets kill them.   No they wont relocate them.   They just kill them.    So… in order to distract from what they are doing in the rural areas, they go and get all the animal rights people fired up about the city issue so that they dont have to do anything.  Yes, that is right,  they are using you!  And, at the same time,  they are distracting you from the real issue, that in the ecosystem where they should be left alone they are going and killing them left and right.  So, if you allow them to distract you, they are doing your cause to do more  harm to the coyotes.  They are putting more coyotes at risk for being a threat.  They are making people angrier and angrier.   Eventually something will happen, and then they will go extreme and try to wipe out every single one.   So, you can fall into their hands and be tricked or you can research yourself and look at what their policies are above the city.  Just look at the Fish and Game site and look up hunting, that is a good place to start.   Do you want to allow them to fool you so that they can get people on board with a killing spree after something terrible happens or do you want to manage the few coyotes that have got out of control and are dangerous?

So,  please people.   You need to get to together.  You need to get the word out.  You need to print the flyers.   You need to go to the city council.  I would go, but I just cant do anymore than I am doing.  I was in a car accident a year ago and I am dealing with issues regarding that.   You need to join hands.  Yes, everyone, and you need to go  to the city council and talk to them.  Its voting time,  there really cant be a much better time for you to do it.

60 lb pit bull killed! Huntington Landmark tract – coyote attack

by 9 Comments

I am posting this particular report that I received on the coyote form as it was a 60lb pit bull!

I get so many comments from people saying, oh they wont kill my dog, I have a big dog.  I have a pit bull,  I have a shepherd,  etc, etc, etc.

Please read this.   Protect your pets as best as you can.  Just because they are large and strong, does not mean that the coyotes will not attack them.

To the person who posted this,  thank you.

Please readers,  if you post on the coyote website, or send in a submission on the form, please put your email in.   I wont harrass you.  I will email you a reply though.  I never, ever give our your email addresses!

 

A 60 lb pit bull mix was killed this week in our neighborhood by
two coyotes. A neighbor came out to get his newspaper and two coyotes
were feasting on a large pit bull mix in the middle of Brentstone
Street in the Huntington Landmark tract. This is extremely alarming as
there have been numerous coyote sightings lately with the animals
becoming more and more brazen.