118 Landscape Architect and Specifier News
I n f o r m a t i o n R e q u e s t # 6 0 2
I n f o r m a t i o n R e q u e s t # 6 9 4
There are 19 subspecies of coyotes (Canis latrans)
in North America, with the average adult male
weighing between 18 to 44 pounds, with northern
species tending toward the heavier side. Coyotes
are strictly monogamous. The females have a
gestation period of 63 days, and an average litter
is 6 pups.
Suburban Coyotes
Coyotes are more and more frequent
visitors to suburban neighborhoods and
parks. Animal control authorities in New
Canaan, Connecticut, for example, recently
placed coyote warning signs at Waveny
Park and other city parks.
As further evidence of the prevalence
of coyotes in cities, St. Charles, Illinois
and St. Charles Park District (Chicago)
have developed a Coyote Management
Plan ( www.stcharlesil.gov/coexisting-
local-coyotes ). The plan notes that coyotes
thrive in suburban areas because of the
abundance of food, water and shelter.
The plan asserts that trapping or hunting
programs are largely ineffective. It advises
homeowners to keep their cats and smaller
dogs safely inside the home, and secure
outside trash containers with locking lids,
clean up barbeque grills, remove food
(even fallen fruit) and water sources, and,
of course, to never intentionally feed them.
Editor's note: I can attest to suburban
coyotes, as on two occasions a pair of
coyotes jumped the 6' side gate of our
suburban southern California home to
decimate a population of rabbits and guinea
pigs that were once my wife's beloved "free
range" pets. I chased off the coyotes the
second time around at 1 a.m., and later saw
one coyote strolling down the sidewalk,
while his partner was rummaging on a
neighbor's lawn across the street. I learned
too late about a simple deterrent that would
have worked for our fence. A 'Coyote Roller'
is a 4-foot, aluminum extruded ribbed roller
mounted to the top of the fence. It spins
with contact and prevents the coyote from
getting a proper foothold to scale the fence.
( https://coyoteroller.com/pages/what-is-a-
coyote-roller ).