In La Jolla, coyotes are not sticking to the canyons anymore. Residents across multiple neighborhoods say the animals have followed people, chased pets and strutted straight into yards, turning quiet streets into unwelcome wildlife corridors. Neighbors have traded videos and posts of coyotes trotting down residential roads and hunting small animals, and some pet owners say they have lost cats and small dogs. The noticeable uptick has people on edge and has prompted fresh guidance from wildlife officials.
As reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, social-media posts and neighborhood feeds show coyotes turning up in Crystal Bay, the Barber Tract and other La Jolla pockets. Security-camera footage shared online reportedly showed two coyotes hunting an opossum in the Barber Tract, and a Crystal Bay post described a coyote that leaped a 5-foot gate and killed a family cat. Other residents have described repeated pet losses and a late-May incident in Muirlands in which an aggressive coyote charged a leashed dog, retreated, then charged again.
Wildlife staff say some of what people are seeing tracks with the season. Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the San Diego Humane Society, told KPBS that many reported behaviors, including escorting people away from dens and warning displays near pups, are common when young coyotes begin exploring. The San Diego Humane Society notes that coyotes generally avoid humans and recommends hazing and removing attractants to cut down on conflicts, according to San Diego Humane Society guidance.
What Neighbors Are Seeing
Welch told The San Diego Union-Tribune that coyotes sometimes “escort” people, essentially shadowing them to keep them away from dens, and that they may show warning behaviors when pups are nearby. An adult coyote may range roughly one to two miles from its den, giving it plenty of opportunity to wander into residential blocks…