Yuma, AZ - Jeanne Marsh was skeptical of stories about encounters with coyotes in urban areas around Yuma. She's not anymore.
In late October, Marsh said she and her tiny 4-pound Yorkshire terrier came face to face with a coyote at her residence in the Yuma valley.
"People should be aware that these animals are in the city," she said.
As Yuma has grown, more farmland and desert has been converted to subdivisions, which has led to more coyote sightings in urban settings.
Marsh said she was taking her dog outside early one morning when she saw the coyote walking along her backyard wall. Marsh lives in Country Meadows at County 12th Street and Avenue B.
The terrier ran up to the wall and was jumping up at the coyote. "The coyote looked poised to jump on the dog, so I screamed," Marsh said.
The local Arizona Game and Fish Department has not received an inordinate amount of calls about coyote sightings, according to Gary Hovatter, public information officer.
Hovatter said the agency receives calls about coyotes throughout the year. Any residential areas that are near agricultural land or desert are likely to draw the wild relatives of domesticated dogs.
Coyotes are most often seen in the Foothills, but John Hervert, wildlife program manager, said they can occasionally appear in the valley.
"Any location that borders on desert or agricultural land, it's not uncommon to see coyotes," he said.
Hervert said that typically in Yuma there have not been problems with coyotes. There have been coyote attacks on pets, but Hovatter said Game and Fish has never recorded an attack on a person.
Coyotes, which are extremely adaptable animals, are afraid of people and generally give ground when confronted by a human. Game and Fish said the coyotes to be wary of are those that seem to be behaving strangely or appear to have lost their fear of people.
"That's uncommon, in my opinion, for them to lose their fear of humans. If they're wild, they won't cause any problems," Hervert said.
Despite the few recent incidents, that record could change as the city continues to grow into lands that were once desert or farmland.
"Especially with the growth out toward the Foothills, when you put more people out there, you're going to have more encounters," Hervert said.
Coyotes have been seen on both sides of the Gila Mountains and out toward Wellton. Hervert said the heavy growth near Wellton may lead to more sightings.
Game and Fish research over the past few years in the Barry M. Goldwater Range has shown that the animals can travel up to 30 miles in one night in search of food and water. Particularly during the summer, Hervert said coyotes will travel long distances through the desert to reach the Gila River.
Any urban areas that might intersect the path of travel during these movements can be subject to coyotes. The animals generally move at night because they are shy and secretive, Hervert said. They can be attracted to food if it is left available to them.
Hervert said the Game and Fish Department has continued its research on coyotes in this area. He said they recently finished gathering data on coyotes in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
Marsh said she gathers her own data each times she lets her dog out — she checks for coyotes, just to be safe.
"I was skeptical until I saw it myself," she said.
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