News

Quiznos Coyote Not Alone

The coyote that strolled into a downtown Chicago Quiznos restaurant this spring was hardly the first coyote to brave the concrete jungle. To be sure, its presence in the middle of a crowded and noisy city and its decision to actually enter a dining establishment were a little unusual, but coyotes in the city have become more prevalent in recent years. And their numbers are growing.

The exact number of coyotes in Chicago is unknown, but researchers estimate that 500 to 2,000 coyotes are enjoying city life, making their homes in city parks and forest preserves, industrial areas, and even residential neighborhoods. According to researchers, there are many more coyotes among us than we realize — most people just don’t notice them.

These are some of the findings of the Cook County Coyote Project, which has tracked urban coyote populations over a six-year period starting in 2000. The study’s coordinator is Stanley Gehrt, assistant professor of environmental and natural resources at Ohio State University and former research biologist at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation in west-suburban Dundee. At first, researchers expected to find just a few dozen coyotes, but since the beginning of the study, the scientists have caught and tagged more than 200.

Coyotes are native to our region and hold an important ecological niche, preying on rodents, geese, and other small mammals. They can travel up to 25 miles in a day. Urban coyotes can cover areas of 50 square miles, ranging from city to city. The report also concludes that city life agrees with coyotes — the urban canids tend to live longer, healthier lives than their country cousins. This increases the likelihood that the numbers of urban coyotes will increase.

As for the Quiznos coyote, it made itself at home in a beverage cooler until the city’s animal control officers picked it up about 45 minutes later. (See ABC 7 News’ slideshow of the coyote.) The coyote was transported to the Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in northwest-suburban Barrington where it received a clean bill of health and was released onto private property in nearby Barrington Hills.

— Catherine Bendowitz

Related Articles:

Stakeout: A Tale of Two Species, CW Fall 2005

Wiley Neighbor, CW Winter 2001