Del Rey neighborhood reports more coyote sightings in the area, warning pet owners

Neighbors in Del Rey are on high alert, posting videos of coyotes in their yards and warning pet owners, as they say coyote sightings are on the rise.

Caree Sullivan said while most coyote sightings are at night, she saw one in the middle of the day sleeping in someone's yard as she was walking her 16-year-old dog through the neighborhood.

"I just picked her up and walked quickly back home," she said.

That's exactly what wildlife experts recommend. Sullivan says she's lived in the community for 11 years but was never concerned about coyotes until now.

"We didn't really have coyotes in the neighborhood until probably in the last year and I don't know if that's just maybe the Palisades Fire, and now they're coming down and they don't have anywhere to go," Sullivan said.

The neighborhood butts right up to the Ballona Creek waterway, and it's thought that these coyotes may be following it into the neighborhood.

Other areas of Southern California have long dealt with coyote encounters. About a year ago, the city of Pasadena temporarily installed cameras in certain neighborhoods to assess coyote behavior. They expect to release information about their findings within about a month.

Lauren Hamlett, Director of Wildlife and Education Services for Pasadena Humane, said there is no definitive research as to whether the number of coyotes in Southern California has grown or if some packs relocated following last year's wildfires.

She also noted that it's mating season, making coyotes more vocal. "Oftentimes, when coyotes are vocalizing, it has nothing to do with hunting. They have so many different kinds of vocalizations that mean lots of different things," Hamlett said.

She says the California Department of Fish and Wildlife doesn't allow indiscriminate trapping and relocating because they do not believe it works.

Pasadena Humane instead encourages residents to haze or scare coyotes that get close, and not to run away or hold eye contact.

Hamlett says the best thing neighbors can do is to all get on the same page and consistently make coyotes feel unwelcome. "Making loud noises, making yourself get big, stomping. Making yourself really aggressive towards the coyote," she advised.