Marty Birrell, nature education supervisor for the Prairie Park Nature Center, kneels near the facility's stuffed coyote, which is often used for educational purposes.

For months, locals have been calling the Prairie Park Nature Center about a three-legged coyote making his way up and down Clinton Parkway.

Some wanted the animal captured, others wanted it put down, said Marty Birrell, the center’s nature education supervisor. For a while, the calls came in daily.

But Birrell said she doesn’t see the point in killing the creature who, by all accounts, isn’t hurting anything.

“These animals work so hard to survive,” she said. “I’ve got to admire him.”

If at all possible, Birrell said the best thing to do is coexist with the three-legged coyote and the others like him who have taken up in the area. Though, it’s always smart to keep a safe distance.

At this time of year, area residents might have more frequent coyote sightings in Lawrence and out in the country, said Roberta Wyckoff, an agriculture and natural resources agent for the Kansas State University Research and Extension Office in town. That’s because it’s their breeding season.

“You might see them more because if they haven’t already found a mate they’re out looking,” she said.

A stuffed coyote at the Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence.

However, just because the coyotes may be more visible right now, there are not more of them, Birrell said. Rather, they’re just out and about more during the daylight hours.

Giving a specific estimate of how many coyotes live in Lawrence would be difficult, but it’s certainly a significant number, Birrell said. Adapting to life in the city, the animals will generally hide during the day and come out at night to feed.

“They’re much more nocturnal,” she said. “It’s a way of avoiding interacting with humans.”

What begins with breeding season naturally results in a birthing season, Wyckoff said. By late spring the coyotes will have pups to take care of and they’ll continue to be out, scrounging for more food than normal.

“Their food requirements have gone up,” she said.

How the coyotes fulfill those food requirements is often what makes people nervous, Wyckoff said.

“Dogs and cats are something they’ll go after, but most of the time they want to stay away from buildings,” she said.

Birrell said that in her 18 years at Prairie Park, cases in which coyotes prey on domestic animals have been rare, though they do happen. She recalled one time when a dachshund was snatched from a yard.

The cats get less sympathy from Birrell, she said jokingly, because they’re not supposed to be roaming the neighborhoods in the first place.

Small livestock can also fall prey to coyotes, she said.

“The best way to protect your pets is to keep a good eye on them,” she said.

If it’s rare for coyotes to prey on domestic pets, Birrell said it’s almost unheard of for them to attack humans.

Coyote

“I have not ever heard of a single coyote making an aggressive move towards a human,” she said.

Rather, coyotes are animals of opportunity, Birrell said. In urban settings they’ll likely go through trash, then they’ll look to the smaller wild creatures.

“They’ll go for scraps and cotton tails and the little voles that live in people’s yards,” she said.

In the case of the three-legged coyote that has been spotted up and down Clinton Parkway, he’s likely to forage in dumpsters, Birrell said.

Then in the summer a significant portion of a coyote’s diet will consist of foliage and insects, Birrell said, noting that grasshoppers make up between 30 and 40 percent of their entire food intake during the warmer months.

Occasionally coyotes can be seen in town, napping on lawns or porches, Birrell said. Typically they’re not causing any trouble.

If an unwanted coyote takes up in a property, the best thing to do is to make the space less friendly, Birrell said. For starters, removing any food sources is a good move.

“Use a boat horn, turn a hose on them, set a sprinkler, something to make it a less nice place to hang out,” she said.

Forcibly removing the creatures isn’t generally the best option because another will just take its place, Birrell said. So it’s best to leave them alone, especially if you already have a good relationship with “your friendly, neighborhood coyote.”

For the most part, coyotes won’t become aggressive unless they’re defending their den or they’re sick, Birrell said.

Rabies are uncommon in coyotes because they’re smart enough to avoid sick animals, Birrell said.

In any case it’s still best not to approach coyotes, Birrell and Wyckoff agree.

“They may look similar to dogs, but they’re definitely not there to be a pet,” Wyckoff said.