The Canid Project

19/01/2025

The coyote is an enigmatic, curious, and intelligent animal that can safely co-exist with people if we let them. By learning more about coyotes, we can gain a greater understanding of their behaviors and enjoy, rather than fear, seeing coyotes in the wild.

16/01/2025

Coyotes aren’t Disney characters nor are they ravenous beasts waiting to attack us at any chance. They are just animals trying to live and survive. By nature they are timid; they do not want to be confronted or challenged by humans. If they sense danger they flee rather than fight.

The source of human-coyote conflict is not the presence of coyotes. Rather, it is the ‘welcoming’ environment that humans often inadvertently provide for them in their neighborhoods and the resistance to modify our own behavior, which is the thing that can be modified.

TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID COYOTE CONFLICT:
Remove attractants!

Coyotes are attracted to:
- the garbage people leave unsecured
- the rodents attracted to brush piles and household junk that accumulates outside
- pet food left outside
- fruit that falls from trees
- cats left to roam
- animals, like rabbits and chickens, kept in improper enclosures (not predator proofed).

Take responsibility for your property and pets. Remove attractants, don’t let your pets roam, leash them for walks, and keep farm animals properly penned in predator proof fencing etc. Make your property uninviting to coyotes.

HAZING:
Next, it is important to give coyotes clear boundaries. If you see a coyote in your immediate area in a neighborhood, your front yard, backyard, etc. haze haze haze. Consistent hazing by all community members works to deter coyotes and keep them away. See this video on hazing for great tips: https://youtu.be/V0CS4_-sQDE?si=iBFgrXEitKlX0-48

LETHAL CONTROL AND RELOCATING COYOTES IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE:
Culling and removing coyotes in an area is short-sighted and is not only bad for the ecosystem but it can make human-coyote conflict worse. Removing a coyote causes a vacuum and more resources will now be available to other coyotes to move in and fill that space. Additionally, if you take out a parent the pack (family) mentality breaks down. The betas (offspring) start to reproduce earlier, so you end up with more coyotes. These young coyotes have not had parents who normally would show them human-induced boundaries.

Remember: When stable populations of predators, like coyotes, are left unmolested by humans, they self-regulate, therefore there is no overpopulation that ever needs ‘controlling’. They only reproduce based on the resources available. Reduce attractants (resources) and give them boundaries, which will’ train’ your local coyote family to be good neighbors.

Today, wildlife co-existence is necessary. Like other top predators, coyotes play a critical role in keeping natural areas healthy. In fact, coyotes are a keystone species, meaning that their presence or absence has a significant impact on the surrounding biological community.

14/01/2025

KPLC interviewed me yesterday about the uptick in coyote sightings in Lake Charles currently. It was a short segment and some key points were left out, but they do link to our coyote informational PDF at The Canid Project website. 🙂 Most importantly though, they left out the hazing info, so I am posting that below, from HSUS:

After making sure you aren't attracting coyotes to your property (leaving pet food out etc.), hazing is an important technique to practice when setting boundaries with coyotes.

Hazing is a method that uses deterrents to move an animal out of an area or discourages an undesirable behavior or activity. Hazing can help maintain coyotes’ fear of humans and deter them from neighborhood spaces such as backyards and playgrounds.

The simplest method of hazing a coyote involves being loud and large. Watch this fun video for a demonstration: https://youtu.be/V0CS4_-sQDE?si=FOyL7dKL67GbcIq8

If a coyote has not been hazed before, he might not immediately run away when you yell at him. If this happens, you might need to walk toward the coyote and increase the intensity of your hazing. It’s important to continue to haze the coyote until he leaves the area completely.

It typically takes only one or two times to haze a coyote away for good. Sometimes you may need to use multiple tactics, such as shaking noisemakers, stomping your feet and spraying him with a hose to get him to leave.

While the sight of coyotes in a residential area may spark some concern, wildlife professionals say sightings will be a regular occurrence for the next few months.

08/01/2025

Excellent information

18/11/2024

Part 1 of Zelda’s release today via Geaux Wild Rehab!

16/11/2024

16/11/2024

Check out Karin Hargrave Saucedo's new post!

16/10/2024

The city of Kenner, Louisiana in Jefferson Parish is at it again! Indiscriminately trapping and killing coyotes. The best available science and the public’s values do not support the unregulated and indiscriminate killing of coyotes.

The indiscriminate killing of coyotes will not reduce their populations. Coyotes are native to North America. Since 1850 when mass killings of coyotes began in the U.S., their range has tripled. Persecution of coyotes disrupts their social structure, which, ironically, encourages more breeding and migration, and ultimately results in more coyotes, to start.

If you want to reach out to the Kenner government to voice your opposition to this short-sighted, inhumane, and ineffective waste of money - paid for with tax dollars - please email:
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected]

To learn more about this issue and sustainable, science-backed, and humane alternative to indiscriminate killing of coyotes, please visit thecanidproject.com The Canid Project

16/10/2024

The city of Kenner, Louisiana in Jefferson Parish is at it again! Indiscriminately trapping and killing coyotes. The best available science and the public’s values do not support the unregulated and indiscriminate killing of coyotes.

The indiscriminate killing of coyotes will not reduce their populations. Coyotes are native to North America. Since 1850 when mass killings of coyotes began in the U.S., their range has tripled. Persecution of coyotes disrupts their social structure, which, ironically, encourages more breeding and migration, and ultimately results in more coyotes, to start.

If you want to reach out to the Kenner government to voice your opposition to this short-sighted, inhumane, and ineffective waste of money - paid for with tax dollars - please email:
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected]

To learn more about this issue and sustainable, science-backed, and humane alternative to indiscriminate killing of coyotes, please visit thecanidproject.com The Canid Project

Geaux Wild Rehab Tails of Nature Wolf Conservation Center
Karin Hargrave Saucedo Project Coyote The Humane Society of the United States WVUE FOX 8 Unfiltered With Kiran

05/10/2024

yay! Zelda!

13/08/2024

Fox Friends! We need your help! ❤

My colleague Skye of Tails of Nature here in Louisiana, has a terribly unfortunate case of two red fox kits needing a lot of care to pull through their issues. As of right now the vet bills are at $700. Malnutrition, partial lameness, muscle atrophy, bone issues, anorexia, extreme anemia, to mention a few of the issues currently being addressed.

*The saddest part of this all is that these foxes' issues are due primarily to diet/malnutrition, because a layperson with no knowledge of basic red fox nutritional needs took them from the wild 3+ months ago and tried to raise them*

If you are able to donate (see the post below) it would be so appreciated as we want to try to correct this wrong if there is still time. Alternatively you can pay the vet directly by calling and asking them to place the donation on Tails of Nature's account. Veterinary Associates of Acadiana 1-(337) 534-8228
More updates soon!!

20/07/2024

We had a pretty devastating blow yesterday when a couple of huge trees came down on our enclosure.

This video shows 2/3 of the damaged area. The part not visible in the video is of the entire covered area with a roof and the covered sally port. It’s completely smashed/destroyed.

Everyone is ok, thankfully, but we need to repair this asap. Please consider a small donation if you are able so we can get back up and running again.

Venmo: @ canidproject (Amy Shutt)
Or visit https://www.thecanidproject.com/contribute

Thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️

26/06/2024

Owl is now here and transport is arranged for the morning ❤️ thank you Tara🦉🥰

Need emergency transport to LSU...is anyone available to help first thing tomorrow morning? Owl is located in Springfield

Please call/text me if you can help
504-491-8036

06/04/2024

Mama Coyote Update April 5+6, 2024.

Well, what can change in a day with these animals is amazing. Yesterday morning we went to the vet to get a pelvic xray to make sure there were no pelvic fractures. Thankfully, there were none (see the end of the video for the xray pic).

After we got back here yesterday she rested for some time, clearly just exhausted from a very stressful outing. Then after a few hours, it was like a light turned on and all of the sudden she was aware! aware of her surroundings, of me, of sounds etc. She started looking at me, looking out into the woods, and started scanning the entire enclosed area—looking for a vulnerable spot to plan her escape.

This morning, after a meal she started working on two of the most vulnerable spots to make her escape. I want to get her back out to her territory asap.

This is how it goes with adult red foxes and adult coyotes in my experiences — when they feel well enough and are ready to go they will hurt themselves to get out. I am concerned she’s going to break a canine or jaw trying to do so—she’s pulling heavy duty wood staples out and trying to pry 10 gauge wire off the door! These instincts are so hard-wired.

Amazing how these animals heal so quickly. I bet the fact that those babies are coming soon is another factor in her urgency as well. I do not want her to be in captivity when they are born. I am very concerned she will maim or eat the babies if they are born here to a stressed mom—it happens often with stressed moms in captivity, in fur farms etc.

We will be monitoring her from the camera all day and will be paying close attention to her mobility, her displacement behaviors which could be self harming, and her general awareness. I will then make a decision on when she will be released.

THANKS to all who have contributed to her care!!!

04/04/2024

A higher up employee at very large Louisiana state institution in Baton Rouge made the ridiculous short-sighted and counterproductive decision to trap 8 week old BABY FOXES and separate them from their mom, dad, and older sister and to euthanize them.

Thankfully the first one caught was saved by Geaux Wild Rehab, as the employee directed by the higher up employee of the state institution thought he should look for an alternative to euthanasia and got in touch. THIS IS NOT THE BEST OUTCOME FOR THE BABIES OR THE INSTITUTION WHOSE LAND HAS HAD FOX FAMILIES FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

And, sadly, this will all be for nothing in the end, because they have opened up a vacancy for another fox to fill and they will be back next year. I am so sick of people doing the crappy thing, and wildlife rehabbers have to rear a perfectly healthy animal that takes the space of a possible injured or sick animal in need. Please read the post.

04/04/2024

Mama Coyote update!
We sent a few security videos like the one below to our regular Vet at Veterinary Associates of Acadiana so he could see how she is getting up and down and walking/moving. He is highly suspicious that she may have a pelvic fracture. So, we will be heading to him tomorrow morning to get x-rays just so we know one way or the other so we can move forward in a plan for her. We need (and appreciate! ) continued support from those who would like and are able to contribute to her care, and esp to this upcoming vet bill. 🤗
🐺❤️🦊

The Canid Project is committed to continuing her supportive care to help her heal so that she may be allowed fo care for her babies once born. This mama is old (about 8 yrs) with worn down teeth to show it, has been shot (saw the birdshot and buckshot on her abdominal x-ray), was loaded with hookworms and anemic, and has suffered an injury that has compromised her mobility and ability to care for herself due to a car strike or the like, and may have lost her mate and/or has been displaced from her territory. She needs a break, and we are happy to help.

THANK YOU all who sent in donations for this mama so far! So grateful for you all. ❤️

Contributions can be sent via
VENMO to @ canidproject
Paypal: [email protected]
or through our website Donorbox at http://www.thecanidproject.com
THANK YOU!

03/04/2024

Here’s an update on The Canid Project coyote intake from Sunday. She’s been moved to a small enclosure and is walking a bit, though it’s difficult for her. She continues to eat and take meds. I was able to clean her up a bit (tail and back legs) thankfully bc she was coated in muck and mud and who knows how long it’s been there. We will continue to give her support to help her heal.

THANK YOU all who sent in donations for this mama and her wee ones! i will send you all messages individually soon. So grateful for you all. ❤️

We will need continued support to those who would like and are able to contribute.

Contributions can be sent via
VENMO to @ canidproject
and Paypal: [email protected]
or through our website at http://www.thecanidproject.com
THANK YOU!