Wildlife

Bears

The information below is from a message sent May 24, 2020, by John Roney, the park manager for Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. John’s message was sent after residents on Cavedale Rd posted pictures of a bear on various properties along Cavedale. It quickly became relevant to residents of Diamond A with bear sightings shortly thereafter reported at the Westerbeke Ranch, multiple properties on Grove St, and in Jack London State Park.

Over the past few years, bears have moved into the Mayacamas, and are now becoming a regular neighbor of our wildlands. They are more visible during May, June, and July when juvenile bears disperse. This means that young bears move away from their mothers and seek their own home range. They look for a safe place to set up shelter and occasionally, when they’re wandering to find a new home, they get mixed up with all of our human garbage collections and see them as food resources.

You can help these dispersing bears and us, humans, by making sure they don’t get habituated to our food/garbage that may surround them.

What You Can Do

1. Trash, pet food, bird feeders, beehives, BBQs, and compost are very attractive to bears. Please do not leave these food sources out. When possible, put garbage cans out on the morning of pickup, not the night before.

2. Use noise to deter bears when they approach your house or other attractants on your property. Pots and pans, whistles, car horns, air horns, and yelling can do the trick. 

For more information please visit the website of the North Bay Bear Collaborative, a local group working to keep our bears wild, our residents and property safe, and our environment natural.

Coyotes

Coyote attacks on humans are rare and only two people have been killed by the animals in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Because coyotes have adapted to living in California’s suburban areas and neighborhoods, it’s important to know how to safety co-exist with the animal, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Coyotes typically prefer to avoid humans, but their behavior changes when humans’ food and garbage become available to them.

Appearance

• The coyote is a canine native of North America.

• It is smaller than a wolf but taller and larger than a fox. Coyotes are about the size of a medium-sized dog.

• The adult coyote weighs 20-50 pounds and stands 2 feet tall. (These measurements are approximate.)

• They have elongated snouts, lean bodies, yellow eyes, bushy tails and thick fur. The fur may be gray, white, tan or brown, depending on where they live. Coyotes that live in the mountains have darker coats.

• They’re quick creatures and can run up to 40 miles per hour.

Habits

• Coyotes howl and yip primarily to communicate with each other and to establish territory. They may bark if defending their den or an animal they have killed.

• Coyotes usually travel and hunt alone or in loose pairs. When hunting deer, however, they use teamwork and form packs.

• These animals live in family units.

• Coyotes tend to be nocturnal (sleeping during the day), but they may be active in early morning or at sunset.

• Coyotes are omnivores (meat and vegetable-eating). They consume smaller mammals, especially rodents and fawns; birds; livestock; small pets; fruits and vegetables; carrion and garbage.

• Their territory typically ranges from 8 miles for females to 40 miles for males. Note: If the pack relies on a natural diet, its numbers tend to be smaller. If fed by humans, the size can be considerably larger. Therefore, please do not feed them or leave food out where they can see it.

• A coyote’s life span is about 12 years.

• They will defend their dens. Their dens are typically well-hidden. In the unlikely event you come close to a den, walk away as slowly and calmly as possible but without turning your back on the coyote, Using loud noises as described in the next section is not advisable during breeding and pupping season.

Commonsense guidelines when walking a pet

•  If you’ve heard neighbors report coyote sightings in a certain area, avoid walking your animal there. Staying on roads or trails in open spaces should give you plenty of time to spot and react to a coyote. Keeping a dog on a 6’ leash is better that using a retractable one that allows a small dog to wander a dozen feet or more away from its owner. When in doubt, pick up and carry a small dog. This way, you maintain full control over your pet who might do something unwise if scared by an intruder.

• If walking your dog during sunrise or sunset, be aware that it increases your chances of an interaction with a coyote.

• If you come into close contact with a coyote, first ensure you have control of your animal. Then wildlife experts recommend that you use loud sounds, such as: yelling, stomping your feet, or vigorously shaking a jacket or other large article of clothing. Walk away slowly without turning your back on the coyote.

Coyote safety tips 

• Never feed or interact with coyotes, even if they don’t appear to be aggressive. Many coyotes in California are simply used to living around humans and should not be approached.

• Consider how much access hungry coyotes could have to your trash. A hungry animal will take advantage of any source of food they can find, from your garbage can to a pet’s food bowl in your backyard. Keep any waste and trash tightly contained to reduce the smell.

• Motion-sensored lights around your house can scare coyotes away from your home and family. Also consider trimming bushes to eliminate hiding places.

• Don’t leave children or pets outside unattended, especially at night when coyotes are most active.

• If you are approached by a coyote, make loud, low-pitched noises. You also can throw rocks in the animal’s direction to scare it away.

• Remove sources of water and pet food that may be kept outside.

• Make sure to pick up any fallen fruit and seeds, and cover compost near your home.

If you have more questions about how to protect yourself from coyotes, the Sonoma County Animal Damage Control Program has further details and contact information on its website.

Mountain Lions

Mountain lion sightings* have been noted yearly in Diamond A. There was an uptick of mountain lion activity in Diamond A that was notable for the loss of several sheep and one goat over a period of several days in 2014. In all cases, the animals killed had not been kept in a barn or a closed shed at night. The California Fish and Wildlife specialist assigned to investigate the incidents quickly determined that the killings were carried out by a mature female who was training her two adolescent offspring. The specialist trapped and killed one of the adolescents but, under the state regulations, was not allowed to capture the other two lions. Following these events, no resident of Diamond A should keep sheep or goats unprotected.  The mountain lion is a protected animal in California, and, as such, can only be killed in specific circumstances. Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. Since 1890, there have been six known fatal human attacks by mountain lions in California.
* video courtesy of Patrick Treacy

Responsible governmental agencies

The California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) is responsible for mountain lion policies & procedures, and their implementation. CDFW also maintains a Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Mountain Lions webpage, which details mountain lion history, range maps and conservation programs, as well as tips for preventing potential conflicts. 

If a mountain lion kills or injures an animal on your property, report it to the CDFW Wildlife Incident Reporting (WIR) website. If livestock or pets were killed, contact CDFW immediately to discuss depredation permits. Dr. Quinton Martins of True Wild Conservation also runs a "predator hotline" that you can call if:

• You lose livestock or pets to predators

• You have a mountain lion encounter

• You find a fresh mountain lion kill

For public safety threats or immediate danger, call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office at 911. 

What you should do to avoid lion contact, or if contact occurs 

1. Do not feed deer. This is illegal in California and attracts lions to their main prey. Do not establish plants near your house that deer like to eat (for the same reason)

2. Lions are crepuscular (most active at dusk and dawn). Exercise extra care during those hours and at night. 

3. Keep at-risk animals in a secure enclosure (not simply fenced in) from dusk to daylight, if possible. If that is not possible, consider the use of guard animals (like one or more types of dog). Do not allow pets to run in and out of the house freely at night. A lion can learn about their availability and check at opportune times.

4. Install motion sensing lights at the perimeter of one’s fences.

5. If walking in known lion territory, some recommended actions include

   •  Avoid walking dusk to dawn 

   •  Carry a stick

   • Travel in groups 

   • Take a dog 

   • Speak in normal tones or otherwise make noise 

6. If one encounters a lion

• Face the lion

• Make yourself appear as large as possible 

• Speak loudly and commandingly

• Do not turn away or run 

• Back away until the threat dissipates 

• If attacked, fight back aggressively 

More information

• Mountain lions in California at the California Department of Fish & Wildlife website

• Coexisting with mountain lions pamphlet from All Hands Ecology (formerly Audubon Canyon Ranch)

• Mountain lions in your parks: What you need to know from Sonoma Valley Regional Parks blog