By Kristen Himmelberg

Special to Mid-City Messenger

Wild coyotes have been roaming New Orleans’ City Park recently, according to city officials and New Orleans police.

The Director of The New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board, Claudia Riegel, spoke about coyotes in city park at a Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association meeting last Tuesday.

The Board has received several calls about coyote sightings throughout the city park area, with people saying they have seen some coyotes ‘roaming around’, Riegel said.

Coyotes are not new to New Orleans, as sightings have been reported since at least 2011 and even as recently as last September in the Lakeview, Lakevista and Uptown neighborhoods.

“I hate to tell you guys, but this is part of the urban landscape, if you look at what’s happening nationally — places like Chicago — coyotes are very common,” Riegel said.

Officials don’t know exactly when the coyotes started moving into urban areas like New Orleans, but they have a plethora of food sources they can find in cities, especially in big parks. City Park, for example, is home to ducks, raccoons, rabbits and rodents — all common coyote food sources.

At the meeting, Riegel said coyotes are hanging out in the park at the corner of Robert E. Lee and Wisner Boulevard.

“Be vigilant when walking through city park, we know there are some, we don’t know how many are there, we really don’t know, being honest here, we just know that they are in the area,” Riegel said at the meeting.

New Orleans Police Department Captain Jimmy Scott, commander of NOPD Special Operations, brought up coyotes at the Comstat meeting Wednesday, saying he’s been meeting with Faubourg St. John and other neighborhood groups about the problem.

Last year, he said, his officers had permits to shoot coyotes, but opted not to do so because of the risk to the public.

“There’s really no place safe in city of New Orleans where we can shoot coyotes,” he said. “Even City Park has people in it 24 hours per day.”

Though no mention was made of any recent neighborhood sightings in the area, Faubourg St. John residents were given some warnings of what to look out for and how to protect themselves in the case of a coyote sighting.

“What we are really trying to do it remove their food source. That is the number one most important thing,” Riegel said at the meeting.

Riegel suggested simple things, such as being really careful to make sure garbage is covered so it doesn’t attract rodents, picking up any fallen fruit from fruit trees or bushes in yards, composting correctly and feeding pets inside.

She also suggests putting pets on a leash at all times while walking outside, supervising pets in yards, and putting up mesh on the bottom of raised houses, so that the coyotes can’t get in and den under there.

If faced with a coyote, Riegel suggests making as much noise as possible in order to make the animal ‘wary and uncomfortable’. “Make them as uncomfortable as possible, haze them, harass them, yell out at them,” Riegel told the group.

For some basic tips and reminders Riegel gave out an info sheet that suggests making loud noises and waving arms, using a sensor light in backyards and even spraying water or throwing sticks in the direction of the animals.

“They are very secretive animals, they are going to be in the shadows, so that is a good thing to do,” Riegal said in regards to adding a sensor light.

She also warned that there are four levels of concern when it comes to dealing with coyotes in an urban area. Level one is seeing them at night, which is normal. Level two is when they become more comfortable with people and have food sources, so they are being seen during the day and night. Level three is when neighbors start to notice a lot of missing pets. And level four is when they get bold with humans.

There was no mention of any human interactions or direct problems with coyotes in the area. But Riegel urges that if people do see a coyote to report it by calling 311, and it will most likely be transferred to the Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board office. And for more information the board will be hosting an urban wildlife workshop.