Coyotes attack more than 10 dogs at a senior community.
‘It was waiting for us. We were ambushed’
Diana Holcomb vividly remembers the evening of May 21, when a coyote killed her dog Bunny right in front of her. Holcomb was just a few feet from her front door with her dog on a short lease in her hand. Then a brown, mangy coyote appeared “out of nowhere” and snatched Bunny, breaking its neck — all in a matter of seconds.
“It was waiting for us. We were ambushed,” Holcomb said. “It happened so quickly.”
Frantically screaming, Holcomb tugged at the leash to get her little white fluffy dog from the coyote’s mouth. In the process, Holcomb was bitten.
“My little dog — I always told her I would protect her. I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t do anything,” said Holcomb, bursting into tears. “It has traumatized me.”
Bunny is among at least 10 pets injured or killed by coyotes at The Villages senior residential community in San Jose since last year, sparking shock and fear among the residents. Six pet owners said they were hurt while trying to fight off the coyotes to protect their dogs. Many have also become extremely cautious about taking their pets on a walk — if they do at all.
Although the number of incidents at The Villages is extreme, the residents’ experiences are not unique in the Bay Area. As more coyotes move into urban areas, news reports of encounters are on the rise as the animals become accustomed to people. A rogue coyote was blamed for biting several people, including a couple of children, in the Lafayette/Moraga area of the East Bay last year, before it was finally caught and euthanized in March. A toddler was bitten in April 2020 while walking with family members in a park in Dublin. And just last week a mother reported that a coyote stalked her toddler inside San Francisco’s Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park, despite the presence of several people nearby.
At The Villages, which is adjacent to a golf course and open space, pet-owning residents have fortified their homes and started gearing up when they walk outside, especially with their pets. Nelson Frick and Darlene Frick, who lost their dog Clyde, put up a fence around their patio and still don’t let Clyde’s sister Bonnie go out there without them.
“Living under fear, or with fear, in your own home is horrible. Really horrible,” Darlene Frick said.
Some resolute residents formed a group that aims to raise awareness and educate each other. The group, named “Villagers for Safety,” held Zoom meetings and distributed flyers to educate residents on protecting themselves and reporting conflicts with coyotes. It also submitted a case to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“We’ve had enough.” said Cheryl Genovesi, the group’s leader. “I have to go back in and fight. Fight to be heard.”
Although the residents don’t feel their concerns are being taken seriously enough, a spokesman for CDFW said staff is well aware of the problem.
“We really are doing everything we can,” spokesperson Ken Paglia said. He said department staff visited the property multiple times and will continue working with the residents.
Wildlife experts say that despite multiple recent coyote sightings in the urban and residential areas, there doesn’t seem to be a significant increase in populations the last few years. They also note that people sometimes misread natural coyote behaviors, such as thinking coyotes are stalking them when coyotes are simply “escorting” people away from their dens.
“Risks from coyotes are generally low,” said Michelle Lute, the National Carnivore Conservation Manager at the advocacy group Project Coyote. Lute said that documented conflicts between humans and coyotes are rare and usually happen when pets are unattended.
But coyotes can become habituated to people, she said. Pet food left outdoors, bird feeders, or composts that haven’t been secured could attract rodents and thus coyotes. In such a case, Lute recommended removing the attractants first, and if the problem persists, Lute said hazing — when done correctly — is a viable option. Hazing involves scaring off coyotes using noise, light and exaggerated motions.
The management at The Villages developed a plan to mitigate the conflicts between people and the coyotes. The plan includes recommendations for residents, such as walking in groups, carrying air horns or walking sticks, and reporting encounters to authorities.
“The experts … continue to insist that educating residents, hazing coyotes, not feeding wildlife or pets, and to continue perimeter fence integrity work is our best set of options at this point,” said General Manager Tim Sutherland in an email. He said the management publishes weekly coyote safety reminders and schedules virtual education sessions with a wildlife expert.
But residents, all of whom are 55 or older, said many of the recommendations are impractical. Holcomb said while she had bear spray at home at the time of the coyote attack, she “didn’t grab it, because I was just taking a ride outside my front door.”
“Even if I had it, I couldn’t have pulled it out and sprayed the coyote, trying to get (Bunny) into my arms and out of its mouth,” Holcomb said.
Carol Colclough, a resident who got a black eye while wrestling her dog Lily from a coyote, said she bought an air horn but found out that it was too stiff to press, so she had to search for an alternative online.
And some residents are considering leaving. Doug Pickering, whose dog was bitten severely, said he has “had it with the situation.”
“I don’t want to be carrying a club, and looking over my shoulder, and worrying that my dog is going to have another emergency vet visit that costs a thousand bucks,” Pickering said. “I don’t like living like that every day.”