New Study on Coyotes in New York State

By Kelly Tillotson

Paul Curtis, an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources, recently received funding for a five-year study on coyote ecology and behavior in urban and suburban areas of New York. Coyotes have become increasingly aggressive in recent years in southeastern New York State. Usually coyotes avoid humans, but they have been venturing into suburban neighborhoods and attacking pets. Curtis states, “This kind of aggressive behavior is usually the last stage before coyotes actually start attacking humans—such as small children that are perceived by the coyotes as a potential food source.”

The study will focus on why coyotes are now foraging in suburban areas. They will also develop and test ways to induce coyotes to fear humans and leave suburban areas. The study is made possible by a grant of $428,000 from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Additional funding from the DEC is allowing Curtis and colleagues, Dan Decker, senior advisor to the dean for land-grant programs, and Tom Brown, leader of the Human Dimensions Research Unit in the Department of Natural Resources, to survey public attitudes and behaviors related to coyotes in New York State. An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 coyotes live in the state.