Urbanized coyotes?

The University of Texas Permian Basin vice president of business affairs Chris Forrest and other UTPB officials decided it was time to clear their drainage ditches of all of the brush and undergrowth this week because of an increasing flooding and coyote problem.

President David Watts said in a news release the coyotes use the overgrown ditches to camouflage their passage into neighborhoods.

Odessan Sean Gonzales was taking scenic pictures on the UTPB campus two months ago when he witnessed a coyote snag a small Chihuahua and violently shake it before it quickly vanished in the brush.

"I tried to run and scare it, but it took off," Gonzales said. He snapped a couple of pictures before the coyote disappeared from sight - with the pet Chihuahua.

Forrest said the coyotes see people as being on their turf due to outward development north and east of town, which is where a lot of coyote complaints come from.

However, coyotes have been spotted all over town. Gonzales said he saw one of the wild-eyed critters at the Taco Villa on Eighth Street.

"The problem is that when they become urbanized they become used to people," Forrest said of the skittish creatures.

The projected cost for the drainage ditch cleanup at UTPB is $75,000 to $80,000, Forrest said.

"I'm not sure if the ditches have ever been cleaned out," he said.

The problem is national. Studies show that coyotes are habituating in large cities everywhere.

"Chances are you have more coyotes living there that you know about. The majority of them are going about their business without anyone seeing them," said Stan Gehrt, assistant professor of wildlife ecology at Ohio State University.

Gehrt has done several leading studies on coyote urbanization in the Chicago area, and said it is a growing problem everywhere.

Coyotes are typically shy, but they lose their fear when they are used to being around people. He said when people ignore the coyotes, they stop running away.

Gonzales said he sees them walking in front of people without fear at the UTPB driving range as they sniff at prairie dog holes.

It is important not to ignore the fact that they are starting to become more visible, Gehrt said.

Clearing the brush from the drainage ditches will take away their sneaky corridor, but Gehrt said it is almost impossible to catch all coyotes.

 Instilling fear back into the coyotes by trapping them will teach them to become shy again, he said.

"The northeast side is causing some disturbance with the coyotes, and that is where we are getting the calls," Cheryl Brom, Animal Control manager, said. "The calls we are getting are typical."

Did you know?

>> Scientists once thought coyotes were afraid of humans, but they are now lurking right under our nose.

>> Studies show that coyotes are a bigger problem in most metropolitan areas of North America.

>> Coyotes associate human smells with food in cities because of trash bins, causing them to feel more comfortable around humans.

>> It is illegal to trap and move coyotes because they can transmit diseases. Rabies is a disease that is a problem in Texas.