Unexpected Urban Residents In Utah Threaten Your Dog

Wildlife Becoming Urbanized 

It's not the story you are used to hearing in in most wildlife documentaries where animals are threatened and losing their habitat due to humans. The coyote in North America has expanded its territory to the most it has ever had thanks to human expansion. 

This is in part because threats to coyotes like wolves have decreased and made it easier for them to populate, but these wild predators have also adapted to living among humans. They have become masters of raiding the food scraps we leave lying around and become hidden residents of our cities. 

There have been large populations tracked in Chicago and San Francisco and other major urban areas. These coyotes become active at night and are rarely seen during the daytime. This is true here in Utah as well. 

Are There Coyotes Running the Streets of Southern Utah? 

Doing a morning show on the radio station, I have spent many years driving to work in the early morning hours. From time to time, I have seen coyotes zip past on the city streets. Even then, you have to keep a sharp eye out to spot them.  

Coyotes like to find food in garbage cans, and they also seek out small prey. This can be a danger to your pets if you let them out to roam late at night. It is something to keep in mind especially if your dog is injured or aging.  

Read More: Four Animals you can Hunt Year Round in Utah

For the most part, coyotes aren’t too much of a problem. They quietly do their own thing and if you’re aware they are out there, you won’t lose a pet to one of these wild city dwellers.