Here is a three minute observation session among three siblings who have had to establish their unique individual relationships with each other: they know not to interfere and when they can interfere. You’ll note they love watching each other and what the other one is doing: no different from us watching each other in real life or in videos/movies: we, as they, can live parts of our lives virtually! There’s also teasing and seeing what can be gotten away with. And there’s the fun of interacting and keeping the prize away from the others, or vice-versa: trying to grab that prize for one’s self after the other coyote did all the work. It’s not hard to relate to coyotes!!
VIDEO: A Peek Into Family Dynamics
26 May 2025 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions, family life, family relationships
The Coyotes of San Francisco, NYT
20 May 2025 4 Comments
For some reason, I am unable to embed the original NYT article by Heather Knight with excellent photos by Loren Elliot, but am able to embed this version, which reproduces the text of the article but not the photos. Coyotes have been a source of controversy for a long time among residents of San Francisco: “we have passionate defenders and furious critics” as reported by SFiST.
Please note: too much space in this article was devoted to the very few preventable negative incidents (specifically the Crissy Field incident and then hunting for that coyote to kill it) and fear that a few dog-owners harbor instead of how coexistence is working, how people are coming to understand them and appreciate them, something about their family structure and family life, and some basic guidelines. Hopefully an article along these lines will be coming out at some point soon!
The article AND Loren’s photos can be seen in the Seattle Times: [https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-coyotes-of-san-francisco/]
News of our SF Urban Coyotes Goes Global!, by Haruna Kamei
17 May 2025 3 Comments
This article was printed in Ytali: Mondo, Cultura, Politica – Magazine Online diretto da Guido Moltedo. Basato a Venezia, città del mondo. Haruna Kamei became intrigued by our urban coyotes here in San Francisco, so she attended one of my talks and then contacted me. Her very complimentary letter to me, which she graciously has allowed me to reprint, is below, and her article is imbedded here.
Congratulations, Haruna, for spreading this information and the idea of easy coexistence globally!
Dear Janet,
My name is Haruna Kamei. I attended your presentation on Citizen Coyotes at the North Beach Library and found it incredibly informative and educational. Thank you once again for generously sharing your knowledge and research to help us better understand coyotes and how we can coexist with them. They are such beautiful beings, and thanks to you, I’m no longer afraid of them and feel better prepared for any unexpected encounters.
As I am a student studying Environmental Humanities and have been reflecting on multi-species worldviews beyond our traditionally human-centric perspective–on the balance between development and preservation, human comfort and the well-being of other species, and how technological advancements can support more inclusive futures–I find the reappearance of coyotes in urban environments particularly fascinating.
Could you help me better understand how coyotes, once extinct in the city of San Francisco, have made a comeback? If I remember correctly, you mentioned that the current population originated from a single pack and that all the coyotes within the city are essentially from the same family. Where did they come from, how did they get here, and is it even possible that siblings mated and expanded the population? In human terms, close inbreeding is associated with genetic issues–is this also a concern for coyotes?
Your presentation truly opened my eyes and deepened my appreciation for these animals. Thank you again for your dedication to educating local residents like myself, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon!
Best regards,
Haruna Kamei
