Presenter(s): Caroline Shea − Animal Sciences, Pre-vet
Faculty Mentor(s): Stacy Kiser
Poster 57
Research Area: Natural Science
There are so many people that are afraid of coyotes, since many people assume that they are going to go after their animals. Not all coyotes are hunters, however, and when they are they tend to eat small animals and insects. The coyote population on and around Lane Community College had gone undetected for a long time. In the spring of 2017 there was one coyote was spotted by a game camera, a mother coyote who had given birth that year. This coyote was found at a site which had red meat placed at the site, which the coyote did not touch, but there was a large amount of small rodent activity, leading to the question: Was the coyote population hunters, like rural coyotes, or were they scavengers like an urban coyote? This is being tested by using this five grain mixture to attract small rodents to see if the coyote would follow. The small animals so far includes rats, mice, birds, rabbits, and chipmunks. This research is useful to help determine if the coyotes pose a potential threat to the nearby neighborhoods or not. So far it is possible that the coyotes are not afraid of people, making them closer to the urban coyote than a rural one, however it is not yet confirmed.