Here are two coyotes wandering around. They both sniffed the tail end of this truck — really!! And then one urinated there. The other was right there watching. “Since you marked here, I’ll mark here, too!” You can see that the first coyote is a female and the second is a male from the way they urinate.
Coyote Yipps
Information and stories about San Francisco coyotes: behavior & personality, coexistence & outreach, by Janet Kessler: Unveiling first-hand just how savvy, social, sentient and singular coyotes really are!
About My Site and Me: This website reflects my 14 years of intense, careful, and dedicated field-work — empirical observations — all photo-documented without interfering or changing coyotes’ behaviors. Be welcome here, enjoy, and learn!
Coyotes reappeared in San Francisco in 2002 after many years of absence, and people are still in the dark about them. This site is to help bring light to their behavior and offer simple guidelines for easy coexistence.
My information comes from my own first-hand observations of our very own coyotes here in San Francisco. They have not been studied or observed so thoroughly by anyone else. Mine is not generic information, nor second-hand.
Note that none of the coyotes I document and photograph is “anonymous” to me: I know (or knew) each one of them, and can tell you about their personalities, histories, and their family situations. There have been over 100 of them, distributed among over twenty families, all in San Francisco. Images and true stories have the power to raise awareness and change perspective.
Contact: Janet@coyoteyipps.com
© All information and photos in my postings come from my own original and first-hand documentation work which I am happy to share, with permission and with properly displayed credit: ©janetkessler/coyoteyipps.com.
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Coyote Behavior Photo Display at Randall Museum ran from February 2019 to Fall of 2021
Zoom Talk: Coyotes in San Francisco: Population, Family Life, Stewardship
(A crash course in SF coyotes!)
October 18th Presentation at PHS/SPCA: Inside the Lives of Urban Coyotes
(Another crash course in coyotes generally!)
Instagram: Coyoteyipps
Standing there and waiting for her feeder to emerge. It’s the habitual feeding time, and he’s late. :( #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
“I put it over there for you.” Of course, feeding is absolutely detrimental for the coyotes, and befriending them on top of that is even worse. It causes the coyotes to hang around. Their increased presence offers more opportunities for negative interactions with dogs and children. And they usually hang around roadways, where their lives are endangered. It erodes their wariness, robs them of more and more of their wildness, and promotes docile behavior which makes them look tame to us humans when in fact, they will react with their wild instincts if they feel they need to. Please don't feed or befriend our coyotes. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
I see character, personality, individuality, forethought and purpose, cunning and opportunism, fun and serious, intelligence and feeling, keenly observant, communicative, family minded, loyalty towards his mate. That's just the tip of the iceberg for this six-year old dad! #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
You can see Nick Stone Schearer’s movie, “don’t feed the coyotes” by copying and pasting the following link, which will be accessible through January 23rd as part of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival: https://watch.eventive.org/wsff/play/61785710eca51400635ea472. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
This nine month old youngster is hiding in the grass, hoping not to be seen. A thicket is right in back of him, where he can escape to if a dog gets whiff of him — coyotes are naturally very careful. From regularly watching him, I know that he’s waiting for dusk when he will join other family members for the nightly rendezvous which is normally an intense social event for the different family members who usually sleep in different locations during daylight hours. After the party, they’ll continue socializing, trekking and marking their territory, and hunting, either individually or in pairs. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
Happy New Year, Everyone! May the new year be as bountiful, successful, and fun as you want it to be!! Yip, yip, yip! #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
This yearling male coyote became highly interested in why I was benignly focused on him with no intent beyond that — I always walked away and kept my distance. In nature, if you are the object of focus, it normally means trouble for you, i.e., a territorial challenge or worse. This coyote climbed a mound of dirt and lay down to watch and examine me from across the street: “WHAT are you doing?” Of course, coyotes are extremely curious, including about us, as we are about them. Or maybe suspicious would be a better word than curious. So the two of us watched each other as a few walkers and their dogs passed between us, and eventually he got up, stretched, and slowly wandered away. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
These two are a mother and a son. They are also half-siblings. Also aunt and nephew. And they have become mates. Inbreeding is common in the coyote world, and apparently it's not a problem. Most importantly, they are happy and well adjusted 3rd and 4th generation owners of the territory they live on, where this one continuous family has lived since 2007, which is when I started documenting their behavior, family life, and relationships. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote #urbanwildlife
Physical beauty isn't what usually comes to mind when I think of coyotes. I mean, no more so than any other critters. Yes, they are all beautiful, but I don't define them by this trait. Yet, when I see the face of this particular coyote in the photo — a six-year-old mother — I do think of the kind of beauty that can only be "in the eye of the beholder".
This is a San Franciscan urban winter landscape. You can tell because of the green. Our seasons are such that Autumn rains (when they happen) turn everything green through the winter and the first part of the Spring. Then we dry up and become golden again until the rains recommence in the Fall.
This is Dad and his sole surviving yearling. The two look uncannily alike. I am able to distinguish most coyotes by their facial features, but not these two until fairly recently. The difference is clear to me now, but it wasn’t for a full year. Surprisingly to most folks, there are indeed strong family resemblances within the different coyote families, just like in our own. It makes sense, but it’s not something most of us are aware of. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
This coyote is standing by a newly formed lake (large puddle) after our one substantial rainfall of the year several weeks ago. He appears to be showing me how he cups his tongue in order draw water into his mouth when he drinks! Yes, this is how they do it!! #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
Be A Coyote Ambassador!
INTRODUCTION PAGES
Top Posts & Pages
Coyotes: What to Know and Do
Download & Print Flyers
- Como espantar a un coyote para que se vaya
- Conflictos con coyotes
- Coyote Advisory from our video
- Coyote Coexistence & Dogs
- Coyote Facts & Fiction
- Coyotes Playing With Dogs
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- Farms and Ranches: the Futility of Killing Coyotes as a Management Tool
- Guía Para Coexistir Con Coyotes Urbanos
- Guidelines For Coexistence
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Killed By Rat Poison – Flyer
- Sign in CHINESE: 土狼警讯
- Sign in SPANISH: ALERTA COYOTE
- Sign: Coyote Advisory
- Simple Rules for Coexistence
- Trilingual Video Poster
- Truth About Coyote Conflicts
- 共存简要守则 – Guidelines in Chinese
Published Articles & Recap
- A View Transformed: from fear to understanding
- Bay Nature Connections Interview
- Bay Nature: Raising Kids In The City
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Coyote Behavior & Peaceful Coexistence
- Coyote Town: Leave SF's Coyotes Alone, by Julia Wong
- Coyote Whisperer Warns of Coyote Encounters During Pupping Season
- Coyotes: Beyond The Howl
- EXHIBIT: Coyotes, Beyond the Howl
- Family First: Wily Coyote's Here to Stay, by Linnea Due
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- How to get Along With Coyotes As Pups Venture Out, Bay Nature
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Inside A Coyote Family
- Janet Kessler: The Urban Coyote Watcher, by Leath Tonino
- Keep Our Coyotes Safe & Wild
- Making Peace With Coyotes by Tripp Robbins
- On First-Name Basis With San Francisco Coyotes
- Pacifica: Neighbors in the Night
- Photographer's Raccoon Adventure in GGPark
- Recap: My Position Regarding Coyotes
- Reservoir Coyotes, by Tom Molanphy
- San Francisco Residents Coexisting With Coyotes, by Robin Hindery
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SF's "Coyote Lady", SacBee
- Sharing Bernal Hill With Our Coyote: A User's Guide
- The Bernal Hill Coyote is a Female and Human "Kindness" Could Kill Her
- The Coyote Whisperer, by Shelby Carpenter
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Need for Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives (PDF version)
- Wildlife In Focus: Coyotes
- YIPS & HOWLS EXAMPLES
TRANSLATION
Web Advocacy and More
- Anticoagulant Intoxication Fact Sheet
- Aversion Conditioning by Lesley Sampson
- Caught On Camera: Presidio Coyotes
- Citizen Coyote: Let's Get To Know Them: An Introduction
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project
- Coyote Lives In Maine
- Coyote Photos by Charles Wood
- Coyote Settles the South by John Lane
- Coyote Tracker
- Coyote Watch Canada
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE FACEBOOK
- CoyoteCoexistence Facebook (alternative link)
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE.COM
- Coyotes As Neighbors: Video
- Coyotes, wolves, cougars. . forever
- Coyoteyipps INSTAGRAM
- Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- History of San Francisco's Native Plant Program, NAP
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- International Consensus Principles for Ethical Wildlife Control
- Mapping Expansion of Coyotes Across the American Continent
- Melanie Furr: America vs. the Coyote
- Micromanagement of Nature Benefits Few Animals
- NapRap
- Rat Poisons Are Harmful
- Save Mount Sutro Forest
- Saving Trees In The Bay Area
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SFForest.Net
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives
- URBANWILDNESS.COM
- Wild Dog Foundation
- WildCare: Live Well With Wildlife
- Wildlife Services: License to Kill
Published Articles & Recap
- A View Transformed: from fear to understanding
- Bay Nature Connections Interview
- Bay Nature: Raising Kids In The City
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Coyote Behavior & Peaceful Coexistence
- Coyote Town: Leave SF's Coyotes Alone, by Julia Wong
- Coyote Whisperer Warns of Coyote Encounters During Pupping Season
- Coyotes: Beyond The Howl
- EXHIBIT: Coyotes, Beyond the Howl
- Family First: Wily Coyote's Here to Stay, by Linnea Due
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- How to get Along With Coyotes As Pups Venture Out, Bay Nature
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Inside A Coyote Family
- Janet Kessler: The Urban Coyote Watcher, by Leath Tonino
- Keep Our Coyotes Safe & Wild
- Making Peace With Coyotes by Tripp Robbins
- On First-Name Basis With San Francisco Coyotes
- Pacifica: Neighbors in the Night
- Photographer's Raccoon Adventure in GGPark
- Recap: My Position Regarding Coyotes
- Reservoir Coyotes, by Tom Molanphy
- San Francisco Residents Coexisting With Coyotes, by Robin Hindery
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SF's "Coyote Lady", SacBee
- Sharing Bernal Hill With Our Coyote: A User's Guide
- The Bernal Hill Coyote is a Female and Human "Kindness" Could Kill Her
- The Coyote Whisperer, by Shelby Carpenter
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Need for Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives (PDF version)
- Wildlife In Focus: Coyotes
- YIPS & HOWLS EXAMPLES
Download & Print Flyers
- Como espantar a un coyote para que se vaya
- Conflictos con coyotes
- Coyote Advisory from our video
- Coyote Coexistence & Dogs
- Coyote Facts & Fiction
- Coyotes Playing With Dogs
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- Farms and Ranches: the Futility of Killing Coyotes as a Management Tool
- Guía Para Coexistir Con Coyotes Urbanos
- Guidelines For Coexistence
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Killed By Rat Poison – Flyer
- Sign in CHINESE: 土狼警讯
- Sign in SPANISH: ALERTA COYOTE
- Sign: Coyote Advisory
- Simple Rules for Coexistence
- Trilingual Video Poster
- Truth About Coyote Conflicts
- 共存简要守则 – Guidelines in Chinese
Web Advocacy and More
- Anticoagulant Intoxication Fact Sheet
- Aversion Conditioning by Lesley Sampson
- Caught On Camera: Presidio Coyotes
- Citizen Coyote: Let's Get To Know Them: An Introduction
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project
- Coyote Lives In Maine
- Coyote Photos by Charles Wood
- Coyote Settles the South by John Lane
- Coyote Tracker
- Coyote Watch Canada
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE FACEBOOK
- CoyoteCoexistence Facebook (alternative link)
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE.COM
- Coyotes As Neighbors: Video
- Coyotes, wolves, cougars. . forever
- Coyoteyipps INSTAGRAM
- Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- History of San Francisco's Native Plant Program, NAP
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- International Consensus Principles for Ethical Wildlife Control
- Mapping Expansion of Coyotes Across the American Continent
- Melanie Furr: America vs. the Coyote
- Micromanagement of Nature Benefits Few Animals
- NapRap
- Rat Poisons Are Harmful
- Save Mount Sutro Forest
- Saving Trees In The Bay Area
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SFForest.Net
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives
- URBANWILDNESS.COM
- Wild Dog Foundation
- WildCare: Live Well With Wildlife
- Wildlife Services: License to Kill
TRANSLATION
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Coyote Yipps 
