What do coyotes eat? What types of food are the coyotes likely to find in each of their territories? What food sources might be present that habituate coyotes to humans? How do wildlife biologists verify what coyotes are eating in a given territory? Create a food web or chart for a coyote. Or, create a Coyote Cafe menu!
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Where would coyotes live in your area?
Look at a satellite imagery map of your county. Based on what you learned from studying the coyotes’ habits in the Visualizer, predict where coyotes might live in your area or neighborhood. What travel corridors might they use? Where might they locate a den? Where would they find food? Water? Shelter? Has anyone ever seen coyotes in your county?
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Coyotes in town: celebration, concern or fact of life?
Assume the role of someone living or working in a community where coyotes have been observed with increasing frequency. Write a persuasive letter to the editor (or present an argument at a mock town meeting) about what you recommend should be done, or not done, to “manage the coyote population.” Roles might include: mayor, city council, restaurant owner, veterinarian, public health officer, wildlife biologist, naturalist, trapper, animal rights advocate, farmer, livestock owner, hunter, mother of toddlers, golf course manager, etc.
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Design a public relations or education campaign to reduce coyote–human conflict
Within each territory in the Visualizer, what areas might you suspect would have a higher risk for conflict between coyotes and humans? How can conflict between humans and coyotes be reduced or prevented?
Design a public relations or education campaign to help residents in a town/neighborhood understand coyotes and limit negative or damaging interactions between coyotes and humans, pets, etc… Your campaign could include news releases, posters, flyers, public service announcements for the radio, etc. What messages would you include when helping to educate young children? Adults?
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What type of negative coyote–human interactions might occur in a neighborhood?
Research documented examples of negative coyote–human interactions. Are they prevalent? How could these negative interactions be reduced? What methods or strategies do wildlife biologists use to “eliminate” problem coyotes?
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How have society’s attitudes towards, and treatment of, coyotes changed or remained the same?
How have coyotes been viewed through history? How have attitudes towards them changed or stayed the same?
What characteristics and behaviors of coyotes that you observe on the Visualizer, or discover in other research, might influence these attitudes?
How have coyotes adapted to co-exist despite human presence and human pressures?
Interview family members or friends to obtain their opinions about coyotes. What influenced their opinions? Have they ever seen or heard a coyote?
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Why do people hunt and trap coyotes in Illinois?
What reasons might people have to hunt or trap coyotes? Who can hunt or trap coyotes? What regulations govern coyote hunting and trapping and who enforces the regulations? What benefits are there to humans or to wildlife for regulated hunting or trapping programs? Has the coyote population been affected by hunting or trapping? What Illinois rules and regulations today keep the population stable? What laws ensure the humaneness of trapping?
How many coyotes are harvested each year in Illinois and how does that compare with other states?
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Create a coyote management and coexistence plan for your community
The Humane Society and many communities have written plans to prevent and solve conflicts among coyotes, people, and pets. Research various management plans. How are they similar? Different? Write a coyote management plan for your community.
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Relocation: does it work?
What defines a “nuisance” or “problem” coyote? What options do wildlife biologists utilize to deal with “problem” coyotes? What are the outcomes of lethal removal or relocation? How would you design a program to prove this outcome?
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What happens if a coyote is killed, dies or is removed?
What might happen if one coyote or all the coyotes in a territory are “removed” or die? Consider the impact on humans, other coyotes in the area, prey species, etc. If coyotes are eliminated from a territory, do you think the removal would be permanent? What methods can the Illinois Department of Natural Resources use to “eliminate” a coyote?