ATLANTA — 11Alive is where Atlanta speaks, so when viewers reached out to us about a story we did on coyotes causing problems in metro Atlanta, we listened.
The story focused on the issue in a Buckhead neighborhood, where coyotes had attacked people's pets.
The people in the neighborhood had hired a trapper to deal with the issue, but viewers wanted to make sure neighborhoods know - there are other options.
Dr. Chris Mowry, a biologist at Berry College near Rome, was one of the people who reached out. He helped create “The Coyote Project” to teach people about coyotes and how to live with them.
Mowry said trapping the animals could disrupt their family structure and possibly create bigger litters in the future. So he suggested keeping them off your property using other means, including some we had in our original story like:
- Keeping pet food bowls inside
- Securing your trash cans
- Monitoring bird feeders
- Keeping your pet on a leash when you let them out
But Mowry suggested going even further - by installing motion activated lights to frighten off coyotes, and even using a hose or noise maker if they do enter your property to scare them away. He said you can also build a physical barrier.
“Building fences," he explained. Fences that are six to eight feet tall that might have rollers on the top of them, because we have seen that coyotes can actually do pretty good at climbing fences. So, then, when the coyote gets to the top of the fence, they can’t get over it."
Mowry said these measures work best when your neighbors are also on board and follow the guidelines, too.
For some of his other suggestions, please visit: atlantacoyoteproject.org.