In the past few months it seems that there have been more sightings of coyotes in the community.
There are a wide variety of wild animals in the community and surrounding areas including coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, opossums as well as birds of prey. The early summer is pupping season for coyotes so this means that they are pursuing food more aggressively. We are surrounded by large open areas and the golf course which are homes for these animals.
The HOA has conducted research regarding coyotes and how to deal with them in an area like our community:
- The San Diego Humane Society was contacted to better understand their role with these animals. The Humane Society took over responsibility for the City of Encinitas to deal with animal control. The net is that they only deal with injured coyotes. The agent that was contacted indicated that there has been a significant increase in coyote activity all across San Diego County and southern California. This may be due to the wetter winter and a delay in the start of the pupping season.
- It is illegal in California to trap and/or relocate coyotes. See below for the details.
- The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is the lead agency to deal with wild animals. A Wildlife Incident Report was submitted and the HOA is awaiting a response. It is unclear what if anything they do about the apparent problems in this area.
- There are several excellent articles on dealing with coyotes that are recommended reading for homeowners. See below.
Living in an HOA comes with shared responsibilities. The HOA is responsible for maintaining the common areas and infrastructure. Homeowners are responsible for their own personal property including pets. There is no role to play for an HOA to help with deterring or removing wild animals. In fact, per State Law, California Code of Regulations 14, 465.5 it is illegal to trap and relocate coyotes. Trapped coyotes must be either released where trapped or euthanized.
If a coyote appears visibly sick or injured please call the San Diego Humane Law Enforcement at 619-299-7012 (option #1) for further assistance. If the coyote has caused damages to your property or has harmed your domestic animal at all, please report this to California Fish and Wildlife. They can take reports online through their Wildlife Incident Reporting system, or by phone through their Regional Office.
If the coyote appears otherwise healthy, has not caused any damages, and is not visibly sick or injured then the Humane Society would recommend not to intervene. Here are two great articles on how to safely coexist with coyotes that we recommend reading!