By Leanna Jones, Reporter

ROME, GA — Coyotes have been reported to be seen in broad daylight within recreational sites at Berry College, including Viking Trail and Mountain Campus, increasing concerns regarding safety in outdoor facilities. While the wildlife management department asserts that caution is necessary, the presence of coyotes on campus is seen to be a natural occurrence like any other wildlife that can be seen on campus including deer, bobcats, skunks, and raccoons.

Dr. Chris Mowry, a Professor of Biology at Berry College and co-founder of the Atlanta Coyote Project (ACP), states unequivocally that when it comes to coyote encounters near recreational areas like the Viking Trail, “It’s all good,” stressing that “these animals want nothing to do with us” and if students and families encounter them they are most likely to flee.

Dr. Mowry also said that “there is nothing to be concerned about” unless individuals engage in “foolish behavior” that would cause the coyote to become defensive and attack. However, despite this reassessment of coyotes behavior by biologists like Mowry, the presence of these animals continues to raise questions amongst the Berry community and visitors who frequent the sprawling campus.

The Presence of Coyotes on Berry’s Grounds.

Berry’s vast campus is home to more than 27,000 acres of land, making it one of the largest contiguous college campuses in the country. So, its not uncommon for coyotes to inhabit natural habitats onsite, especially since Viking Trail stretches an hour and 30 minutes of walking between their two campuses.

Typically, the presence of coyotes often triggers predictable reactions from people due to limited understanding of their behavior around humans. Recognizing this gap in public knowledge and the widespread “fear of coyotes” as well as the general uncertainty about them, Dr. Mowry and Dr. Larry Wilson (Emory University Professor) founded the The Atlanta Coyote Project (ACP) in 2015. The purpose of the ACP is to educate the public, provide public outreach, combat misinformation, and conduct scientific research on these canines. The ACP also highlights that the key to staying safe from coyotes is passive management as they should be treated with caution when encountered.

Passive Management towards coyotes

The Atlanta Coyote Project mentions passive management as a way “to prevent conflict before it develops” as it’s the key to “coexisting peacefully with wildlife, including coyotes.” Better understanding of coyote behavior and being proactive and well educated about coyotes can help prevent possible conflict during an encounter. As long as the coyotes don’t feel threatened in any way there’s a very low chance they could come out of the woods and directly attack. Coexistence with caution is key,if there were ever to be more future sightings of coyotes on campus.

This is also what Gary Will, Director of Campus Land and Safety Management advises. He suggests that if someone encounters a coyote, they should attempt to “avoid the animal”. If avoidance is impossible, he recommends making a loud noise, such as a clap, to scare them away. Gary also notes that “coyotes are generally skittish, but an animal seen sitting still or acting suspiciously during the day raises concern, potentially indicating sickness like rabies.”

Coyote Attacks

An attack by a coyote that’s seemingly unprovoked is an extremely rare event. However, if an animal is acting strange or out of the ordinary , it may be sick, as reported in an incident in Roswell, GA, when a young coyote attacked a woman and ended up getting tested positive for rabies (both the coyote and the woman).

However, raccoons are the primary species for rabies in the east coast and rabies cases in coyotes are rare (for example, only three coyotes tested positive for rabies in Georgia in 2015). Nevertheless, the general public should still be vigilant for rabid animals and report any unusual behavior sightings to local police in the event the coyote or animal is acting strange, because that could indicate sickness and rabies. Public agencies will generally not respond to complaints about coyotes unless there is a clear and imminent threat to public safety, which is rarely the case.

While the likelihood of a rabid or aggressive coyote encounter remains low, sightings are becoming more frequent as urban expansion continues to overlap with natural habitats. According to the Urban Coyote Research Project at Ohio State University, “Coyotes are “extremely smart and adaptable creatures capable of quickly learning how to circumvent barriers or repellents.” Because of this intelligence and quick adaptability, coyotes are more likely to thrive in places like Berry.

With that being said, the single most important piece of safety advice from coyotes that Will noted was pet control, meaning keeping pets on a leash at all times. He also emphasized that “Ignoring existing leash laws is dangerous, as a dog might chase a coyote, or vice versa, leading to unpredictable results.” Furthermore, people should never attempt to feed a coyote or throw food, as this encourages dangerous habituation. As well as this, people should never engage in behavior that would provoke that would threaten the coyotes in any way as it heightens the risk of an attack.

Catching Coyotes

Although catching a coyote can be challenging, its proven not to be impossible as there were a couple instances where coyotes were caught nearby Berry’s grounds.One of these instances occurred when Dr. Mowry’s research program once caught a melanistic (black coyote)in 2020. Mowry noted that his team were able to catch this coyote through the use of a foothold and box trap, which safely captures the coyote when it’s baited without hurting the animal.

Mowry noted that this particular coyote became part of a captivating local story, distinguished by its unusual coloring and strikingly bold behavior. Unlike most coyotes that avoid human contact, this one (who went by the name Carmine) was frequently seen roaming around backyards, playing with pets, and even slipping through doggy doors: a level of comfort that people found both fascinating and shocking.

Given the animals’ comfort around people was likely going to lead to a negative outcome, the ACP team captured this unique coyote and relocated him to the Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary, located east of Atlanta, just minutes away from Stone Mountain Park.

Other Wildlife on Campus

While there are frequent reports of coyote sightings, they are just one part of the variety of wildlife species. inhabiting Viking trail and Mountain campus at Berry . Will Gary noted that Campus Safety occasionally encounters unique animals. He recalled a “unique” encounter several years ago when “a black bear entered the dining hall area, getting into the trash cans.” The bear quickly fl ed across campus once police responded and turned on their siren. Other unique sightings include bobcats, wild hogs and white squirrels.

While these animals have stirred up a bit of unease for visitors, experts like Mowry and Gary emphasize that these animals are not a threat but rather a reminder of the rich biodiversity that defines the world’s largest college campus. With proper precaution and safety measures as well as respect for wildlife humans should be able to peacefully coexist with the coyotes on campus without the fear of feeling endangered.