
DCHS Wildlife Center
Wildlife Center staff work with UW Urban Canid Project to prepare a coyote for release.
Staff at the Dane County Humane Society Wildlife Center work with the UW Urban Canid Project to prepare the coyote for release.
It’s well known that coyotes inhabit Madison. Due to their normal nocturnal nature, however, they are often heard yipping after dusk but seldom seen.
So the number of daytime sightings of coyotes reported by residents of Madison’s Nakoma and Vilas neighborhoods this fall was unusual. One or more coyotes were also sighted near the Alliant Energy Center and on Lake Monona, and another on the UW-Madison campus. The sightings created both buzz and concern. Wildlife authorities urged people to “haze” or scare off any coyote they encountered. And while coyotes seldom see pets as easy prey, especially with people nearby, folks were reminded to keep their dogs leashed and secure.
After numerous reports of a coyote in Vilas Park — limping and looking sick, according to some witnesses — a young, male coyote was caught within the fenced-in tennis court at the park on Jan. 3.
Dehydrated, exhausted and parasite-ridden, the coyote was safely secured by Madison Parks staff and Public Health Madison and Dane County animal service officers. The animal was then transferred to the Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center, where it was treated for tapeworms and heartworm, and lice-matted fur, says Jackie Sandberg, program manager for the wildlife center.
On Jan. 27, that coyote was deemed rehabilitated and released at an undisclosed location south of the Beltline, ending the animal’s three-week captivity.
Sandberg tells Isthmus it took about a week to get him eating, “but he perked up with supportive care and medication.” By his third week, “he was exploring his outdoor enclosure and ready for release.”
During its stay at the wildlife center, the coyote was sedated for X-rays, blood work and for grooming of his coat. Staff looked for evidence of previous leg injuries that might explain public reports of a coyote limping.
“The X-rays did not show any previous fractures and the coyote is not limping currently, so either this is not the same coyote or he had a soft tissue injury that has since healed,” says Erin Lemley, a wildlife center veterinary technician.
Lemley adds that the wildlife center sees “relatively few coyotes.” Most of those were treated for mange or injuries from being hit by cars.
“This coyote is much healthier than we usually see them,” Lemley says. The coyote received subcutaneous fluids and antiparasitic medications — some applied as a topical treatment and others hidden in its food, she adds.
By the time of its release, the coyote was active and keeping its distance from its caretakers. She says he would hide from humans when they entered his cage and not show “any signs that he is overly habituated, which is also great.”
Sandberg, who was present for the coyote’s release, says she frequently hears concerns from Madison-area residents about coyotes and foxes potentially harming pets.
“In reality, these are avoidant species. There are very few interactions between them and us,” she says. “We’ve never had a fox or coyote at the wildlife center because of an encounter with a cat or dog, not in my 15 years here.”
The wildlife center worked closely with the UW Urban Canid Project right up until the release of the treated coyote.
“The coyote’s medical condition, age, and proximity to humans may all be contributing factors as to why he was seen so regularly and during the day at Vilas Park,” David Drake, who leads the canid project, reported on its Facebook page.
UW Urban Canid Project is a 14-year effort to study coyotes and red foxes in the Madison area. The just released coyote was fitted with an orange, inactive radio collar as a way to identify it in the future.
Drake surmised that the young coyote “was likely forced” to leave where it was born and raised and found refuge at Vilas Park where “a variety of natural and human-sourced food options…may be enticing to an urban canid.”
Rebecca Johnson, a resident in the nearby Greenbush neighborhood, says she and her husband separately saw a coyote in Vilas Park in early December. She shared photos she took of a coyote lying near the playground equipment.
On that occasion, Johnson says she was out walking her dog, Bear — a Labrador-golden retriever mix — when they encountered the coyote in the park. The coyote was at rest, looking relaxed, she says. Bear, on the other hand, “was excited, but didn’t bark.”
A week later, on Dec. 13 at about 12:30 p.m., she and Bear had a more interactive coyote encounter. About a mile and a half away from Vilas Park, they came upon a more intimidating coyote in the parking lot of the Alliant Energy Center, just outside the fenced-in dog exercise area within Quann Park.
“This time, the coyote approached us,” Johnson says. “It came into the center of the road, slightly arching its back and showing its teeth in a weird way. I looked it up later and learned it was a defensive posture.”
Johnson, a former volunteer at the Dane County Humane Society Wildlife Center, says that while the coyote didn’t appear afraid of her or Bear, she wasn’t concerned it would attack. “If it did, I would assume it was rabid.”
The canid was about 40 feet away from Johnson and Bear when it stopped. “I yelled at it, but it stood still as if to say, ‘I am here and I’m not running from you.’”
Johnson did what Drake recommends people do in such circumstances: Haze the coyote by making noise or throwing things toward them.
“Generally, we're not concerned about people seeing coyotes as the sun is going up, down or during the night because that is when they are most active in urban areas and when the fewest number of people are out,” Drake wrote in an email to Isthmus. “We take more notice when we get coyote sightings during the day because that could be an indication that coyotes are starting to lose their fear of people.”
Coyotes usually mate in February and March, which could explain why coyotes are being seen during the day. “We are entering coyote breeding season and that is the time of year coyotes are most active,” Drake says.
Johnson says her coyote encounters remind her to keep her dog leashed on their walks. And while Bear can hold his own (“Depending on how many snacks he’s had, Bear is 80 pounds on chubby days, and a svelte 75 pounds on other days”), she says owners of small dogs should be more wary.
“You don’t want your small dog to stray too far from you and find out a coyote got it,” she says.
Johnson logged a couple of her coyote sightings on iNaturalist, as Drake encourages people to do to help the ongoing candid research in the area. Johnson says she was pleased to see her reports and accompanying photos, despite being taken from a distance, earned “RG” or “research grade” designations on the site.
Despite her close encounter with a defensive coyote, Johnson remains fascinated by the presence of coyotes in Madison. “I feel both excited and happy when I see them,” she says. “Humans have done an efficient job of eliminating predators. But it’s a sign of a healthy ecosystem when you have predators around.”