Council studies coyote issue

The Huntington Beach police chief declared the city’s coyote problems a public safety concern at the City Council study session Tuesday night, as the city looked into how to handle residents’ concerns over coyotes attacks on their pets.

Residents have spoken out during council meetings after their pets have disappeared and expressed concerns over coyotes becoming more daring. Resident Lesley Koch choked back tears as she talked Tuesday about the cat she lost to coyotes and her blond toddler she was afraid would be next.

“Is it going to take my daughter to be attacked for you guys to do something?” Koch asked the council.

Koch was one of about a half dozen residents who told stories of cats and dogs disappearing, waking up to animal guts scattered around their lawn, or rabbit cages being ripped apart.

“If you haven’t lost an animal, you don’t know ... When you’re out on your front step and you see your animal getting ripped to shreds, there is a problem,” she said.

Lt. Kent Smirl of the Department of Fish and Game recommended the city implement a two-part strategy of education and elimination of some of the coyote population. Police Chief Ken Small said the department will look into implementing both the educational and elimination aspects of the plan.

The police department began setting traps a couple of weeks ago, but with no results so far. Small said they might have gotten the wrong traps and will look into getting the correct ones. The police department received 80 calls from concerned residents about coyotes in 2009, nearly double the number of calls from 2006, according to Small.

Despite the police department’s declaring a public safety issue, several residents spoke out during public comment about residents learning to coexist with wildlife.

“Coyotes are not the problem, it’s the people. Coyotes would focus on their natural prey if people didn’t leave out treats,” said Julie Bixby, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust vice president.

Coyotes are an important part of the ecosystem, residents told the council. Jennifer Robins, the president of the Amigos de Bolsa Chica, said the coyotes keep the brown squirrel and feral cat population under control.

Councilman Joe Carchio said the city is “damned if they do, damned if they don’t.”

“Nobody wants to see the coyotes ... eradicated. I don’t want to see anybody kill animals, but at the same token, there is a public safety issue here,” Carchio said.