A Palmetto Bay workshop will teach residents how to coexist with coyotes

Coyote sightings are on the upswing in Palmetto Bay, and the mayor is responding by hosting a workshop about how to deal with the wild animals. The Miami Herald reports that the village of Palmetto Bay will host “an informative workshop about coyote biology and ways to co-exist with coyotes.” The free workshop is happing on February 20.

Neighbors are divided about how to deal with the problem. “Many want to live and let live. A few want to hunt them or remove them,” Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn said.

Meanwhile, he’s received reports of a few cats taken by coyotes and several residents reported coyote sightings in October 2017.

Back in October, Flinn posted tips on his South Date Updates blog on how to protect your pets from coyotes and what to do if you come across a coyote. “Removing coyotes is an inefficient and ineffective method to control populations. New coyotes move into areas where others have been removed,” he wrote to answer the question of whether the animals can be removed from an area. “When there is pressure (such as trapping) placed on coyote populations, the species can actually produce more pups per litter in response and populations can quickly return to original size.”

• Coyotes are on the prowl in this neighborhood. So residents will be taught to ‘co-exist’ [Miami Herald]