The Jefferson Parish council met Wednesday to discuss ongoing concerns about an increase in coyote sightings on the East and West Bank.Officials approved spending $40,000 to hire trappers to catch some of the animals, which seem to be too comfortable around humans.But Parish President Cynthia Lee Cheng stressed that it is not a silver bullet.”We can’t trap our way out of this,” said Cheng. “What we’re really concerned about is if they end up using snares, that some of our pets would actually get caught up in those snares, so we want to have a public education campaign on this too.”Cheng said she hopes to hold two upcoming educational meetings to inform the public on how to help the parish discourage coyotes from entering urban areas.”They come into our neighborhoods because they’re simply looking for food, small cats, mice, people who feed cats and leave food out at night,” said Cheng. “Once they are able to get foods in neighborhoods, they have a positive reinforcement that they want to come back into the neighborhood and find more food again.”Some parish employees will also conduct hazing in an effort to scare the bolder coyotes away.To learn more about hazing, click here.Residents are encouraged to continue reporting coyote sightings so the parish can target its efforts.Earlier reports: A Metairie neighborhood is on edge following a gruesome attack involving two coyotes. Last Monday, a cat was found mutilated in a yard along Bissonet Drive. Surveillance video captured a pair of coyotes working in tandem to kill the cat.The woman who owns that cat was too shaken up to speak on camera but told WDSU that she rescued Bandit 16 years ago after Hurricane Katrina. She said the cat has a sibling, which is now living inside her home for protection.She buried Bandit in her garden, where she says the cat used to sleep.Alicia Steadman’s home surveillance system recorded the attack. She has a 4-year-old and said she is now concerned for her child’s safety.”I’m worried about the kids at this point because we definitely have a lot of young ones (in the neighborhood),” said Steadman. “I just don’t know when something is going to be done about it.”WDSU took her concerns to Jefferson Parish officials, who said a representative from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will attend an upcoming council meeting to discuss solutions. That meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Joseph Yenni building.In the meantime, the agency provided WDSU with a number of tips, which homeowners can use to lessen the risk of coyotes invading their neighborhood. According to Wildlife and Fisheries, coyotes are becoming more common in urban areas, including Orleans and Jefferson parishes, due to increased development and food availability. The agency says that coyotes and other nuisance wildlife typically look for food in garbage cans, gardens and other outdoor spaces. Coyotes are also known to seek shelter under decks or sheds, and in thick brush and hollow trees.In an effort to discourage wildlife from venturing into a neighborhood, residents are encouraged to:Never feed wildlife.Identify the problem using game or home surveillance cameras.Do not allow pets to run loose outside.Feed pets and store pet food indoors.Store garbage cans in a garage or secure them to prevent tampering.Refrain from dumping leftover food or oil outside.Remove bird and squirrel feeders from yard.Secure domestic livestock with a welded wire mesh fence buried in the ground.Install barriers around exposed decks or sheds.Trim all shrubs and remove any fruit that may have fallen from a tree.Use electrical fencing around gardens.Do not run from a coyote; instead, make yourself big using your arms and legs and make noise by stomping your feet.Residents are also encouraged to contact a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator if they see a problem coyote. For more information, click here.
The Jefferson Parish council met Wednesday to discuss ongoing concerns about an increase in coyote sightings on the East and West Bank.
Officials approved spending $40,000 to hire trappers to catch some of the animals, which seem to be too comfortable around humans.
But Parish President Cynthia Lee Cheng stressed that it is not a silver bullet.
“We can’t trap our way out of this,” said Cheng. “What we’re really concerned about is if they end up using snares, that some of our pets would actually get caught up in those snares, so we want to have a public education campaign on this too.”
Cheng said she hopes to hold two upcoming educational meetings to inform the public on how to help the parish discourage coyotes from entering urban areas.
“They come into our neighborhoods because they’re simply looking for food, small cats, mice, people who feed cats and leave food out at night,” said Cheng. “Once they are able to get foods in neighborhoods, they have a positive reinforcement that they want to come back into the neighborhood and find more food again.”
Some parish employees will also conduct hazing in an effort to scare the bolder coyotes away.
To learn more about hazing, click here.
Residents are encouraged to continue reporting coyote sightings so the parish can target its efforts.
Earlier reports:
A Metairie neighborhood is on edge following a gruesome attack involving two coyotes.
Last Monday, a cat was found mutilated in a yard along Bissonet Drive. Surveillance video captured a pair of coyotes working in tandem to kill the cat.
The woman who owns that cat was too shaken up to speak on camera but told WDSU that she rescued Bandit 16 years ago after Hurricane Katrina. She said the cat has a sibling, which is now living inside her home for protection.
She buried Bandit in her garden, where she says the cat used to sleep.
Alicia Steadman’s home surveillance system recorded the attack. She has a 4-year-old and said she is now concerned for her child’s safety.
“I’m worried about the kids at this point because we definitely have a lot of young ones (in the neighborhood),” said Steadman. “I just don’t know when something is going to be done about it.”
WDSU took her concerns to Jefferson Parish officials, who said a representative from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will attend an upcoming council meeting to discuss solutions. That meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Joseph Yenni building.
In the meantime, the agency provided WDSU with a number of tips, which homeowners can use to lessen the risk of coyotes invading their neighborhood.
According to Wildlife and Fisheries, coyotes are becoming more common in urban areas, including Orleans and Jefferson parishes, due to increased development and food availability. The agency says that coyotes and other nuisance wildlife typically look for food in garbage cans, gardens and other outdoor spaces. Coyotes are also known to seek shelter under decks or sheds, and in thick brush and hollow trees.
In an effort to discourage wildlife from venturing into a neighborhood, residents are encouraged to:
Never feed wildlife.
Identify the problem using game or home surveillance cameras.
Do not allow pets to run loose outside.
Feed pets and store pet food indoors.
Store garbage cans in a garage or secure them to prevent tampering.
Refrain from dumping leftover food or oil outside.
Remove bird and squirrel feeders from yard.
Secure domestic livestock with a welded wire mesh fence buried in the ground.
Install barriers around exposed decks or sheds.
Trim all shrubs and remove any fruit that may have fallen from a tree.
Use electrical fencing around gardens.
Do not run from a coyote; instead, make yourself big using your arms and legs and make noise by stomping your feet.
Residents are also encouraged to contact a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator if they see a problem coyote. For more information, click here.
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