New research has revealed just how incredibly resilient North America's most adaptable predator is.
Earth.com reported that a new study tracked the remarkable recovery of eastern coyotes in South Carolina following a three-year removal campaign.
The research, published in the journal Ecosphere, devised an innovative model to assess coyote density in the protected Savannah River Site. The Integrated Population Model combined data from howl surveys, trail cameras, and scat to estimate coyote population density within the SRS.
Before the removal campaign, which began in 2010, there were approximately 50 coyotes per 100 square kilometers. After nearly 500 coyotes were eliminated over three years, that figure plummeted to just 14. However, that sharp population decline was short-lived, as by 2014, coyotes were back up to 44 per 100 square kilometers.
"Coyotes can bounce back very rapidly." said Heather Gaya, the study's lead author.
Thousands of coyotes are killed every year in the United States, often at enormous taxpayer expense. These misunderstood predators are perceived as a threat to livestock and game species and have no legal protection against even the most barbaric hunting practices. Even if morality is put to one side, the research is clear: Lethal control of coyotes simply does not work and actually makes the issue worse.
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As the Coyote Project points out, coyotes have a self-regulating reproductive system in which the pack's dominant pair does most breeding. Culling only fractures the family unit, causing more litters to be born and fewer experienced packs to emerge, which are more likely to attack livestock.
Coyotes fill the void left by the loss of large predators such as wolves and cougars in the ecosystem. Coyotes protect birds by competing with mesopredators, and they aid humans by feasting on disease vectors and cleaning up carrion.
The study calls for a different approach to managing coyotes in the wild: one based on a stronger understanding of the species rather than on outdated, ineffective methods. This can include revising hunting limits and improving habitats to limit conflict between coyotes and hunters.
Ultimately, ignorance is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome, and that's something that can be addressed by keeping up to date on the issues and having productive conversations with family and friends to spread the word.
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