10/14/2026
People are often fearful of coyotes. Lack of knowledge and poor information fuels fear. This is a very helpful post. Learning to live with wildlife is very important. These animals do play an important role in our ecosystem.
Terrified of coyotes? Let’s talk FACTS:
In the history of the United States and Canada combined, there have only EVER been two human deaths, confirmed by biologists, resulting from coyote attacks.
In the US, there are approximately 10 nonfatal coyote attacks on humans each year.
For a comparison, the CDC reported approximately 22,000 homicides (people killing people) in 2023 in the US alone..
Domestic dogs are responsible for approximately 4.7 million attacks on people in the US every year, resulting in approximately 16 fatalities per year.
So here is the reality of the situation:
You are far more likely to be killed by that guy walking down the street than your neighborhood coyote.
You are far more likely to be bitten by someone’s pet canine than that wild dog outside.
Statistically you are far more likely to be STRUCK BY LIGHTNING than bitten by a coyote….
So, what does this all mean? Should we not worry about coyotes at all?
No, that’s not what I am saying.
If you see a coyote, stay clear of it. Do not attempt to interact with this animal. It is capable of harming you – it just isn’t likely.
Don’t leave small pets outside, unmonitored. Don’t let your cats roam the neighborhood. Your pets are far more likely to be harmed by a coyote than you are. This doesn’t make the coyote’s evil. It makes them carnivores. We can’t talk about how evil it is for them to hunt our pets while munching on a double quarter pounder with bacon and cheese without acknowledging the hypocrisy. Most of us are very emotionally removed from what actually has to happen before we purchase packaged meat in a store.
If you have a very small child, you are going to want to keep a close eye on them at all times, to protect them from everything – like people, animals and themselves.
DO NOT FEED THESE ANIMALS. People feeding coyotes and befriending them causes their natural fear of humans to subside. That causes danger to both the coyote and the people around it. Humans feeding these animals has been found to be the ROOT CAUSE in the majority of coyote attacks. Read that again…
Why not just get rid of all coyotes? Then we wouldn’t have to worry about them at all.
First of all, deep sigh….
Second, like all animals on this planet, these guys are part of an intricate balance in nature. As apex predators in the US, coyotes help regulate populations of smaller predator species – like raccoons, skunks and foxes. Removing them would cause a negative ripple effect.
And remember, if 10 attacks a year is justification to rid the United States of coyotes…. what are we going to do about all those domestic dogs and all those people running around?
