Lane County officials are warning the public to follow the law and not feed wild animals, particularly coyotes in the Howard Buford Recreation Area, home to the Mount Pisgah Arboretum.
Sightings of coyotes in the recreation area on the app iNaturalist have become more frequent near parking lots and other areas frequented by humans, and they are more commonly approaching hiking humans and pets.
That activity has led to one coyote being euthanized.
“We’re now in a situation where coyotes are so habituated to people that they have become a danger,” said Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge. “We’re evaluating the behavior [of coyotes] in and around populated park areas, and it is likely that we’ll have to euthanize one or more additional coyotes.”
Coyote droppings in the area are also increasingly found to include dog food and human food.
That has led officials with both Lane County Parks and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to conclude that humans are feeding the animals.
"You should not be encouraging them to approach you or your vehicle. It’s not cute. It’s not normal behavior,” said Ashbridge. “And, unfortunately, it trains these animals to think of people as a source of food, and that’s where you get conflict."
Ashbridge said ODFW was consulted, and the department said euthanizing habituated coyotes was the best option. It is believed that a group of two to three coyotes are primarily responsible for the new activity, and one of that group has been euthanized.
ODFW officials also said relocating coyotes is not viable, since the animals often starve or are killed by other coyotes after being moved.
State law bans the feeding of wild animals. Those who see people feeding wildlife in the park are encouraged to document the act and report it to Lane County Parks or Oregon State Police.
