CHICAGO — Don’t panic, but it’s the time of year you’re most likely to spot a coyote in Chicago.
There are at least 2,000 coyotes living in Cook County, said Stanley Gehrt, who started the Urban Coyote Research Project in 2000 to track local coyotes and research their behavior.
Most of the time, city coyotes survive by avoiding humans. Almost all coyotes try their best to stay out of our way by going about their business at night and steering clear of areas with lots of humans, Gehrt said.
But February is the peak of coyotes’ mating season, so they’re spending more time with their lifelong partners and feeling bolder than usual. It’s also harder for them to hide because the winter has “beaten down” most of the city’s greenery, Gehrt said.
“They’re monogamous and paired up year-round, but right now, they’re more closely attuned to each other,” Gehrt said. “Their hormone levels are highest this time of year, so you might see coyotes come out more frequently, especially when they see people with their dogs.”
Still, the vast majority of coyotes are afraid of humans and they understand that it’s safest for everyone if they keep their distance, Gehrt said.
Researchers with the Urban Coyote Research Project keep tabs on 446 coyotes in Cook County using radio collars so they can learn more about their behavior. Only 14 of the coyotes they track have ever disrupted humans, according to the project’s website.
When coyotes become nuisances, it’s usually because people are attracting them by leaving food out, Gehrt said.
“The general public has no idea about more than 95 percent of the coyote population because they’re so good at staying hidden,” Gehrt said. “Somewhere in Chicago right now, someone’s walking past a coyote and has no idea it’s there.”
Coyotes were regularly spotted near Chicago in the early 1900s, but as the city grew, coyotes left for more rural areas, and sightings became relatively rare, Gehrt said. In the late ’90s, coyotes returned to Chicago because they realized city living meant access to food and other resources.
Coyotes’ survival rate is actually much higher in the city compared to rural areas because it’s illegal to hunt or trap them, Gehrt said.
They mostly live in the city’s green spaces, like cemeteries, golf courses and parks.
In January, Alexandria Levy saw a coyote relaxing in the park near St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, 5649 N. Sheridan Road, from her window while she was working from home. She watched it roam around the park, then successfully cross Bryn Mawr Avenue and run away.
“I was really excited about it because I was 16 stories up,” said Levy, who’s lived in Edgewater for three years. “He looked really cute sitting there, and I was so glad he crossed the street fine because it can get a little crazy over by the ramps on and off Lake Shore Drive.
“My life’s totally boring and nothing ever goes on at my desk job, so I was like, ‘This is the most exciting thing I’m going to see all day.’”
As if coyotes’ natural cool factor isn’t enough, they help to control the populations of other animals in the area that can be more of a nuisance for humans, like deer, rodents and geese.
They don’t like to eat rats, which “is a mystery we don’t understand,” but they eat mice and rabbits which helps to reduce the spread of disease and prevent overpopulation, Gehrt said.
They’re also one of the only animals brave enough to take on Canada geese, Gehrt said.
“They’re the only animal that’s successful at taking the eggs from their nest during nesting season,” Gehrt said. “They’ll take eggs from about half of all the goose nests we’ve monitored, which is enough to control the growth of the goose population.”
As white-tailed deer’s main predator, coyotes prevent deer from over-eating local plant species and causing car crashes, Gehrt said.
“Thousands of people are injured from deer-auto collisions in Illinois, and others have unfortunately been killed, with many of those coming from the Chicago area,” Gehrt said. “In a weird way, coyotes actually help to reduce risk to us by killing the animals that are more dangerous to us than coyotes.”
More recently, researchers found coyotes have worked out some kind of agreement with feral city cats that happens to protect other vulnerable wildlife. Coyotes don’t usually kill cats because they’ve learned to avoid parks where coyotes hang out, which thereby creates a safe haven for birds, Gehrt said.
“Cats can be a much greater predator to wildlife than coyotes because there’s more of them,” Gehrt said. “By excluding cats from green spaces, coyotes essentially act as a buffer for other wildlife, especially songbirds and other small mammals who’d be vulnerable to cats. That’s an important ecological function because they’re essentially reducing the negative impact of cats.”
Anthony Pence has encountered a few coyotes relaxing in cemeteries and hanging out along the lakefront since moving to Edgewater in 2016. A few weeks ago, Pence saw a coyote strolling through an alley in broad daylight.
“I made a Facebook post so people were aware that guy was out there, so they could be careful with their pets,” Pence said. “But I’m from Kentucky, so I know they’re usually pretty scared of humans and other animals.
“I feel like if they’re hiding out and hunting the rodents in the alleys, I’m perfectly fine with them. It’s a sign of a healthy ecosystem that we have these big predators coexisting in the city with us, so I think it’s a good thing they’re around.”
What Should I Do If I See A Coyote?
Most coyotes are extremely shy, so it should be relatively easy to scare them off, Gehrt said. The vast majority of coyotes won’t try to hurt or bother people.
Never try to run away from a coyote because that could cause it to chase you. Instead, try shouting at it and waving your arms. Taking a few steps toward a coyote should make it run away, Gehrt said. If the coyote doesn’t run off, slowly back away and take a different route, Gehrt said.
“If you do encounter a coyote, do them a favor by reminding it that it should be afraid of us,” Gehrt said.
How Can I Prevent Interactions With Coyotes?
When coyotes lose their fear of people, it’s usually because someone is feeding them, Gehrt said. Never leave food out for coyotes or other wild animals.
People sometimes accidentally feed coyotes by leaving pet food or garbage outside. Bird feeders can also attract coyotes because they’ll try to hunt the birds and squirrels that eat the seeds, according to the Urban Coyote Research Project’s website.
“Food can serve as an attractant for them,” Gehrt said. “They may begin to associate human property as a source of food and lose their fear. It’s really sad when that happens because usually the animal starts out very shy and acts appropriately, but through feeding, they change their behavior and generate complaints.”
Motion-activated lights can help prevent coyotes from coming into your yard. Playing talk radio outside can also help keep them away.
“If you can try to create some kind of illusion of human presence on your property, that sometimes works,” Gehrt said. “Some of these things work for some coyotes, but not others.”
How Can I Protect My Dog From Coyotes?
Never leave your dog alone outside, even in a fenced yard, and don’t let them run loose anywhere.
During mating season, it’s especially important not to let your dog off leash. Since coyotes mainly live in parks, letting your dog run free in green spaces “invites trouble,” Gehrt said.
If you come across a coyote while walking a small dog, pick it up and hold it in your arms as you try to scare the coyote away, Gehrt said.
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