Friday, June 23, 2017

Astro Restaurant: C-145 Brought A Friend



Video: Gary Vlahakis, June 18, 2017.  The coyote in tracking collar, often seen waiting for a meal in the Astro Restaurant parking lot, was identified as C-145 by LA City Animal Services Wildlife Officer Hoang DInh, but we could just call him Astro.

National Park Service was tracking C-145 along with 5 other coyotes in their Los Angeles urban coyote study.  C-145 and his mate had a litter in a Silver Lake backyard in 2016.  According to the NPS website, the batteries died a few months after the collar was placed on the coyote.  Information regarding the study hasn't been updated since 2016. You might try Facebook for their latest info.  

There is an ongoing coyote scat study, with the help of volunteers, they learn much about what Los Angeles coyotes are eating.  In C-145's case, you don't need to find his poop to know he's a regular at Astro and probably taught his pups to eat there too.  (I'd heard stories for years about the coyote in a collar who visits Astro, but last week was the first proof.)

Under the advice of  Wildlife Officer Dinh, Vlahakis attempted to chase off C-145 and his buddy from the Astro parking lot. C145's buddy took off across Fletcher. C-145 is so unafraid of people that he went right back to the parking lot to wait for breakfast early Sunday morning. 

Dinh recommends hazing coyotes: making your self large, waving your arms, throwing pine cones in the direction of coyotes to make them afraid of people again.  

LA City Animal Services is hosting a series of Wildlife Workshops across the City.  In addition to coyotes in our neighborhood we have bobcat, gray fox, raccoon, opossum, skunk, rats and snakes among a plethora of birds, raptors, owls, gophers and insects in the neighborhood.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
North Central Shelter
3201 Lacy St.
Los Angeles, CA 90031
(Cypress Park)

Learn more about living with urban wildlife:
Los Angeles City Animal Services
Coyote Hazing The Humane Society
Conflict Resolution With Coyotes The Humane Society 
Keep Me Wild State of California  

Document coyote sightings (citizen science):
"Coyote Catcher" University of California
LA Nature Map on iNaturalist LA County Natural History Museum

We've been documenting coyote sightings in the Corralitas Red Car Property Neighborhood for the past ten years.If you have photos of coyotes or other wildlife in the neighborhood, email photos or links to video along with a brief when, where and what was the behavior you observed: redcarproperty@gmail.com