Local listing agent Martin Feinberg was interested to learn that officials in Culver City have approved a $210,000 coyote study and management program. The approval came Monday night at the Culver City City Counsel meeting.
According to Gelli Harris of the Culver City group Save Our Pets, Culver City Real Estate area residents have recorded dozens of pet deaths by coyote on social media sites like Next Door and Facebook over the last few months. These accounts, combined with personal accounts and direct knowledge, have caused some Culver City neighborhoods to become very concerned.
Harris stated, “we documented 50 deaths of animals where there were still enough of the remains so that we could identify them. I’ve been walking these streets for 34 years and every house had a cat, sitting outside on the lawn. But now it’s a ghost town from the cat perspective. The two left on our street, we lock them into the house every night. There are no outdoor cats.”
While coyotes have been reported across all of Culver City, most sightings and reports have come from the Carlson Park, Culver Crest, and Blair Hills neighborhoods.
The drought, which has led to a lack of fresh vegetation and rainwater pools, has caused a huge decline in the rodent population that coyotes typically feed on. A lack of food has driven coyotes into urban areas, where they find new food sources and decide to stay.
Martin Feinberg, Realtor, notes that as a part of the coyote study and management program Culver City also started a three-year partnership with Loyola Marymount University at the Monday meeting. This partnership will include implementation of citywide and school-wide educational programs, and the installation of night vision cameras to help track coyote migration patterns.
Residents are encouraged to report coyote sightings using the city’s hotline at 310-253-6141, or by email to http://www.animal.services@culvercity.org. They can also report online here. Reports should include the date, time and location of the coyote activity.