In 1804 the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered a coyote on the bank of the Missouri River, and said they tried to kill the "dog-like creature" and failed. It was one of the first written descriptions of human/coyote interaction, and given the lopsided carnage that has characterized our relationship ever since, it proved to be a fitting beginning.

No good has come of massive efforts to suppress this species—not for humans, the environment or coyotes. Coyotes rebound against attacks and return to their former numbers despite the most intensive eradication efforts. But the cycle of violence can be stopped as more people learn how easily humans and coyotes can live together.

Co-Existing with Coyotes

Often people live with coyotes nearby and never see them, knowing they are near only when they hear the animal's occasional night choruses. This can be your experience, also, if you follow a few simple rules:

• The promise of food is what lures coyotes into suburban yards. Feeding coyotes (or other wild animals) is a prescription for conflict. Don't attract these opportunistic animals by leaving pet food or water outside; and if you compost, be sure to use enclosed bins and never include meat or fish scraps. Good housekeeping, such as regularly raking areas around bird feeders and keeping trash in high-quality containers with tight-fitting lids, will also discourage coyote activity near residences. For good measure, don't place the cans at the curb until the morning of collection.

• Coyotes can be serious predators of cats and small dogs, and occasionally do some damage to home gardens. Owners can protect their pets by not letting them outdoors unattended, especially at night. (Coyotes are primarily nocturnal.) Cats in particular should never be permitted to roam freely and ideally should be left indoors.

• Poultry or hobby livestock can be protected from coyotes with fencing (both structural and electric) and by ensuring that the animals are confined in sturdy cages or pens each evening. Fences should be at least six feet high and secure at ground level, since coyotes are good diggers.

• Never let children, especially small ones, go outside without you in woodland areas in which coyotes have been spotted.

• Clear brush and dense weeds from around your house.

• Finally, if coyotes visit your yard, tell them they're not welcome. Make loud noises or spray near them with garden hoses. Help coyotes retain their natural wariness of humans, and the two of you will get along much better.