Coyotes increasingly inhabit urban and suburban areas; lethal control is ineffective and humane coexistence strategies better serve both human and coyote welfare.
Urban coyotes exist at the intersection of human-wildlife conflict and wildlife welfare. Lethal control methods including trapping, shooting, and poisoning cause significant suffering while failing to achieve lasting population reduction. Poison-based control is particularly problematic as it creates prolonged suffering and kills non-target species. Coexistence approaches based on hazing, securing attractants, and public education achieve conflict reduction without the ongoing welfare costs of lethal methods, and have been empirically validated in multiple urban settings.