Biology

La Coyotes is unlikely to spend time in wealthy areas of the home range, research finds

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Lush greenery and abundant wildlife – the many wealthy La Neighborhood attributes that seduce people – appear to be portrayed even for predators like coyotes.

However, a new study found that coyotes were less likely to search for high-income areas in their home range, and were a surprising researcher who preferred to stick to the less-rich parts.

Research from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Research shows that wealthy zip cords may have more wild prey and shelter, but those living in those areas tend to “have a more disadvantaged, separatist view of coyotes.”

People in wealthy areas have shown growing support for killing animals, and haze is more common in wealthy areas, a study published in the journal Ecology Letters reported on Tuesday.

The researchers cited several studies that support the idea that people in wealthy regions may be viewing coyotes differently, including conversations gathered from last year who used fieldwork in LA and from online applications that were collected from online applications that “theorize how internet discourses about real and global influences in the increasingly dependent coyote debate in LA and elsewhere.”

Another study cited from 2023, analysing a decade-old coyote report in San Francisco, found that a high median income correlated with negative opinions in polarized animals.

New research shows that removing coyotes like traps can be expensive.

“In areas with low resources, people hire less trappers than in areas with more wealthy,” said Christine Wilkinson, the study’s lead author and a recent postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. “So we’re a bit curious, are these because coyotes know about removal?

The finding is one of several results that researchers say unexpected from a paper exploring the impact of social wealth and ecological health on the Canids movement, using tracking data on 20 coyotes roaming primarily in Los Angeles County. Researchers behind the new study say the takeout will help guide urban planners and parents in building wildlife-friendly cities.

This study participates in an increasing number of studies focusing on how social factors shape animal behavior.

The coyotes tracked in this study had a larger housing range in areas with more polluted, higher population density and lower income compared to areas in areas where researchers described as less burdensome. Researchers said the animals known for their resilience seemed to have moved far away to get what they needed.

Coyotes in more contaminated and densely populated areas are also likely to challenge urban parks, suggesting that their picking is slimmer, potentially putting grub human interactions and potentially nest spots at risk.

Urban parks can provide a steady stream of garbage and rats that are attracted to it, Wilkinson noted.

Meanwhile, the survey found that coyotes across the county are less interested in cemeteries and golf courses. This has been found to be often identified as an important site for wildlife in urban ecology literature. In these locations, trash can be picked up on a daily basis and vegetation can be cut to reduce hiding places, suggesting a potential explanation for the findings.

“The coyotes are one of the most adaptable carnivorous animals, but their movement patterns really reflect the wider urban inequality,” said Wilkinson, a researcher at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. “So I think we can think about how we can use coyotes as a lens to make cities better for both people and wildlife.”

Movement data from this study were obtained from 20 coyotes (6 women and 14 men) equipped with a satellite tracking color for another study that had never been realized.

The main method used to see where Mesopredators went was comparing the actual location points collected from the collar to random points in the home range. The broad picture of what they were doing was further divided by levels of pollution, wealth, population density, and other variables.

“We have taken all 20 coyotes and see who has a pollution burden that exceeds the average pollution burden of these coyotes, and who is carrying the pollution burden below.

The researchers also looked at how fast the coyote moved, turning the angle to provide a sense of fine movement across the landscape, in addition to overall habitat preferences.

The size of the house range, defined as the location where coyotes spent 95% of their time, changed significantly between animals. One woman had a home range of less than a square kilometres, while another woman ranged over 114 square kilometres across LA and San Bernardino counties.

Niamh Quinn, Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor, co-author of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and Study, said the findings underscore the need to examine wildlife in a variety of ways.

Many exercise studies look at ecological factors alone, but humans and animals are affected by the same thing, she said.

“People are affected by unhealthy communities and it appears that coyotes have a potential (Be) potential,” she said.

There are also some potential practical implications. Residents living in more contaminated areas may need to take more precautions to keep their pets safe, Quinn said.

Cats, rats and rabbits are considered to be the preferred mammal prey of coyotes, she said.

The study focused on where the coyotes went and where they didn’t, but Quinn said the coyotes were virtually everywhere in LA County. Although more reports of coyote activity come from wealthy regions, these reports do not necessarily indicate the level of population there, she said.

“We have not reported a portion of the LA city, not because there are no coyotes there,” she said. “That’s because the people there have other things to think about.”

The prevalence of coyotes means Angelenos will bump into them. It’s a stroll around East Hollywood, whether it’s a hike in Griffith Park. They tend to elicit strong emotions, Quinn said they are loosely classified as love and hate. The conflict between humans and wild canyons is difficult to manage, she said.

Sometimes tension is opposed to each other, too.

Last year, California wildlife officials investigated coyote traps adopted by Torrance and other cities because they could violate state law at the request of animal welfare activists.

It is controversial, but not uncommon, to trap and kill coyotes in urban settings.

Animal ethical people who have launched an investigation are petitioning for statewide regulations that ban coyotes of gas and prohibit cities from contracting with private trappers working on public land.

More information: Christine E. Wilkinson et al., Environmental health and social wealth predicts movement patterns of urban carnivorous animals, the ecology letter (2025). doi:10.1111/ele.70088

2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Quote: La Coyotes is unlikely to spend home range time in wealthy areas, survey obtained from https://phys.org/news/2025-02-la-coyotes-wealthy-areas-home.html (March 2, 2025)

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