04/05/2022
Woah! Sleuth "Clouseau" the coyote discovered remains of at least 750 lbs of deer in Newport.
Intrepid "Clouseau" a GPS-collared coyote has led NBCS to a winter coyote-feeding bonanza on Newport Neck! Project scientists were becoming suspicious of a spot Clouseau had traveled to and from 14 times between December 27 and March 15 when NBCS received a tip that explained the cause: the carcasses of six untagged deer laid out in a line at a coastal residence near Fort Adams. On a site visit we were shown remains and a large handmade cage-trap, not set, next to the area. There was recent evidence of multiple coyotes visiting, marking the site, with their s**t, as a hot property. S**t is coyote for “mine.” The deer smorgasbord had clearly been a great source of food for multiple coyotes all winter, rings of deer hair and bones told the story.
Why were dead deer put there? Someone was trying to attract coyotes. For years hunters and trappers have collected fees or bounties for coyote kills in some sections of Newport. Large persistent food subsidies, like Clouseau’s six deer, ensure coyotes keep coming back and makes them easier to shoot or trap. Is this a problem?
It is legal in Rhode Island to hunt or trap coyotes year ‘round if DEM regulations are followed. At the same time, under a Newport ordinance, it is illegal to put out “food attractants” for coyotes and the Newport ordinance takes precedent. The Newport city council wisely adopted a “no-feeding” ordinance in 2013 (Ord. No. 2013-003, § 1, 6-12-2013). Good idea because lack of food is the primary reason coyote populations are self-limiting; reliable food resources will trigger population growth in coyotes. As evidenced by the s**t and Clouseau’s continual visits, the trapper in this case did not get rid of the coyotes. Counterproductively, by increasing food availability to bonanza levels during what is normally a rough time of year, the trapper raised the population carrying capacity of Newport Neck, and did so during their breeding season, December through April, when well-fed females have larger litters of pups. In addition, feeding in residential areas habituates coyotes to humans and increases coyote traffic there. Last, the deer placed on the coastline brought in members of the “Newport Neck Pack” such as Clouseau, but also would have attracted numbers of transient coyotes that wander the shores looking for food and an opening in a territory. Feeding like this, if it happened every year, would explain the recurring coyote problems on Newport Neck. The good news is it can be stopped by enforcement of the ordinance. We are really excited that Clouseau, with help from residents, led us to what looks to be a major part of the coyote problem!
