Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Behind dire wolves and saber-toothed cats, coyotes rank as the third most commonly found mammal in the La Brea Tar Pits proving they have been residents of Los Angeles County for thousands of years. There has probably always been some degree of human-coyote conflict, but to many current residents, the situation seems to be getting worse. The Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures is one of the last public agencies in the County attempting to manage coyotes in certain situations, which is proving to be challenging, given the changing nature of public opinion on coyote control issues and the public’s general knowledge of wildlife. I discuss how the Los Angeles County, Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures attempts to meet the expectations of the public in the light of these changing attitudes.