Coyote sightings concern pet owners in Mesa Verde

Kris O’Donnell

After losing her cat, resident Pauline Thomas became proactive in

hopes of its safe return. Little did she know, she wasn’t alone.

“I lost my cat and put up fliers offering a reward. Suddenly, I

was inundated with calls from other local residents who also lost

cats,” the 23-year Mesa Verde resident said. “Prior to their calls, I

was not aware of the coyote intrusion.”

Longtime Mesa Verde resident Sally Humphrey was among those who

faced that same situation.

“I have two cats. After one of my cats disappeared, I became very

worried for the safety of the other,” Humphrey said. “On July 31, I

was awakened at 3 a.m. by a commotion in my backyard and saw a coyote

there. I chased it off, and my neighbor’s cat jumped to the top of

the wall shaking.”

The state Department of Fish and Game Senior Volunteer from Laguna

Woods investigated the incident after Humphrey made numerous calls to

the Costa Mesa Police Department and Costa Mesa Animal Control.

Neither group claimed jurisdiction over such incidents.

“There was no formal avenue for filing an official coyote sighting

report,” said Diane Majerski of the Costa Mesa Animal Control office.

“However, plans are in the works to address this concern.”

Janice Norgaard, senior volunteer for Fish and Game, said that her

department could only give recommendations on what to do to lessen

the chance of coyotes’ intruding into one’s yard.

“We are not a full-time office, we’re only open a few hours a day.

In-depth inquiries should be directed to our Chino office,” Norgaard

said. “We get dozens of phone calls a week with coyote sightings.”

The Police Department has issued a bulletin addressing residents’

concerns about coyote sightings. The department is aware that several

residents have lost pets and offer a number of steps that residents

can take to deter attacks and intrusions.

“When coyotes lose their fear of humans, there are bound to be

problems,” Animal Control Sgt. Clay Epperson said. “This year,

however, does not appear to be worse than any other year. This is

simply a natural condition that we have to live with.”

Epperson said residents should call 911 if approached by a coyote.