09/23/1991

Studies Will Evaluate Coyote Impact in Alabama

AUBURN, Ala.—When fields of watermelons or sweet corn are destroyed or livestock are killed, coyotes almost always top the list of prime suspects. But are these animals really goat assassins or merely scapegoats?

That's the question researchers working with the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) at Auburn University are trying to answer by opening new investigations into the case of the accused coyotes.

Jim Armstrong, an Auburn University wildlife researcher heading two new coyote studies, explained that coyotes have received a lot of attention in recent years, in part because their population in the State has mushroomed.

"There are reports of people killing coyotes even in the 1920s, so they've been here a while," said Armstrong, who is an assistant professor of Zoology and Wildlife Science at Auburn. "But the population has been growing and coyotes have been reported in all 67 counties."

"Reports from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, based on incidental kills of coyotes by deer hunters, show there has been a definite increase," he continued. From 1965 to 1986, there were 5,264 reported killings of coyotes in Alabama. From 1986 to 1987, 10,995 were reported killed, and during 1987-88 there were 13,137 reported kills.

Armstrong attributed this increase to an eastern migration of coyotes from their native western habitats, and to some intentional introduction of coyotes into the state by fox hunters looking for new quarry.

As their numbers have grown, so has their infamy. Coyotes have been blamed for damaging numerous fruit and vegetable crops and killing livestock, particularly new-born calves, sheep and goats.

While coyotes are fully capable of many of these crimes, Armstrong notes that they may not be the sole suspects in every case. He explained that free-ranging dogs, pets which are allowed to roam unattended, will often kill livestock. Other forms of wildlife, such as raccoons, can cause coyote-like damage to fruit and vegetable crops.

Thus far, studies examining coyotes in Alabama have not fully indicted nor exonerated these animals. Research has shown that coyotes will consume everything from small rodents to fruits and vegetables to poultry and livestock. They also will scavenge carcasses of dead animals. An earlier AAES study done by Keith Causey, also an Auburn wildlife researcher, found that coyotes will feed on deer during fawning season, when newborn fawns are easy prey, and during hunting season, when they are likely scavenging deer carcasses left by hunters. But their impact on wild game populations is modest.

"Coyotes are 100 percent opportunists," explained Armstrong. "They'll do whatever it takes to stay alive and they will take the easiest meal they can get."

In an effort to finally clear or convict these animals, Armstrong is instituting two new studies to evaluate coyote damage and also to survey public perception and knowledge of coyotes. A telephone hotline will be used for citizens to call and report suspected coyote damage.

"We will be receiving phone calls on this special line provided by the Alabama Farmers Federation," Armstrong explained. "A technician will ask questions about the damage being reported. If it appears there is a real problem, the technician will visit the site and look for physical evidence of coyote damage. From that we will get an index of how much of the reported damage is actual coyote damage and how much is due to other problems."

The hotline is expected to go into operation during the first half of 1992 and more information about this number will be available in the future.

The second study will involve a mailed survey to be sent out to livestock owners in the State to determine their knowledge and perceptions of coyotes. Information gleaned from this survey will help wildlife scientists determine what types of educational programs might be used to help Alabamians deal with coyote problems.

The Alabama Cattlemen's Association and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources also will cooperate with these Experiment Station studies that may finally prove the guilt or innocence of these canine culprits.

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By:
Katie Smith