Eastern coyotes (Canis latrans) are 30–45 lb. canines prevalent throughout Ohio and the Midwest. Small groups (packs), composed of a mating pair and offspring, or a male and multiple females, have home ranges covering 5–25 square miles. Social opportunists, about 80% of their diet consists of small rodents and rabbits. Coyotes will also eat insects (especially grasshoppers); fruits; fish and crayfish; frogs; snakes; bird eggs; larger mammals (raccoons, opossums, muskrats, and deer); garbage; carrion; domestic pet food and bird seed. Coyotes can kill housecats and small dogs! Like foxes, coyote will also kill livestock, especially chicken, ducks, and lambs.
Coyotes can carry many diseases harmful to people, pets, and livestock, including Rabies, Distemper, Mange, Hepatitis, Parvo-virus, and Tularemia.
Most coyotes don’t bother people, but the potential does exist for coyote attacks in Ohio. A coyote who does not fear people should be considered dangerous. The foods they find in residential areas (garbage, pet food, pets) are full of human odors, so these coyotes quickly learn to associate food with people. People may become frightened when they see coyotes, and run into their homes. To a coyote, that person has just behaved like prey (running triggers their attack response). In short, food smells like people and people behave like prey. Some people even intentionally feed coyotes, further increasing the potential for a coyote attack.
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