KMIR6 Investigates Coyote Problems in Rancho Mirage

CREATED Sep. 21, 2012

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  • Coyotes are attacking dogs, killing cats and even stalking people in at least one Rancho Mirage country club. One homeowner just barely saved her dog from a pack of coyotes and asked us to investigate. Video by kmir6.com

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Coyotes are attacking dogs, killing cats and even stalking people in at least one Rancho Mirage country club.
One homeowner just barely saved her dog from a pack of coyotes and asked us to investigate.

You may remember that this past June, two women were bitten by coyotes in the Sun City Palm Desert community.
Friday we spoke with a woman living in Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.
She just barely saved her dog from the jaws of coyotes.
Chou-Chou is an adorable family pet that almost fell prey to coyotes.
Linda Hogg was walking the dog on a leash in the country club when she stopped to tie her shoe.
"Coyote brushed up against the back of my legs, and grabbed her in the mouth and took and yanked the leash away from me."
Linda went running for her dog.
"Two other coyotes then came along too for the kill, and she got loose, she got loose, I was screaming and chasing and throwing rocks."
Linda threw herself on Chou-Chou, picked her up and started towards home.
"Then they stalked me, I tried everything, screaming, yelling and throwing things, called my husband on the cell phone, he picked me up."
In June, we talked to people who had coyote problems from Rancho Mirage to Palm Springs.
At The Living Desert, they say coyotes are very adaptable and move in where there is food -- from rabbits to trash, and your pets.
"It's a neighborhood problem, so don't feed coyotes intentionally or even unintentionally like putting out pet food for your cats and dogs and that sort of thing, that's probably the best thing, the other thing is don't be indifferent to coyotes either, so if you see them, chase them away," said Living Desert's Director of Conservation and Education, Peter Siminski.
But some coyotes are more aggressive than that.
"If a coyote boldly approaches you, you try and make yourself look big, you don't run away, you get towards where there are more humans, you can throw things at the coyotes," said Siminski.
Linda heard other stories in the country club about coyotes chasing people and killing two cats in front of their owners.
"I want people to know, and I want them to be very very careful of their young toddlers in the yard, because I do believe that there's going to be something horrific happening," said Hogg.
Coyotes fall in Fish and Game's domain.
They told us they are nuisance pests and can be killed by trappers.
Fish and Game says trappers can be found by calling local pest control companies.
We also spoke with a housing association board member for the country club, they tell us the coyote problem is growing and they are looking at solutions.