City officials have released a precautionary statement to the residents of Richardson as the mating season of Bobcats and Coyotes are about to begin according to a Community Impact article from January 31 which reports,
“February marks the start of mating season for both bobcats and coyotes in their natural habitat of North Texas. Richardson Animal Services anticipates that area residents could see an increase in sightings of the animals over the next few months and should plan accordingly.
According to animal services, bobcats and coyotes rarely pose a threat to people because they often settle into their environment with humans. Noura Jammal, animal shelter manager for the city, said people should be aware of their surroundings when dealing with wildlife and interact appropriately.
“The main concern is making sure that we keep the wildlife wild,” Jammal said. “We don’t want them to lose that fear of humans, so we always want to make sure that we make lots of noise. Shake our keys at them, yell at them, or even pick up a stick and throw it at them if necessary.”
Meanwhile, in a Dallas Morning News article from January 31, several tips and advice were laid down in order to stay safe during the said mating season. In it they say,
- “Dispose of garbage regularly and place it in a secure container that cannot be opened by animals.
- Pick or dispose of ripe fruit if you have fruit trees in your yard.
- Do not accumulate piles of debris such as brush and leaves.
- Do not feed raccoons, squirrels and deer.
- Yard flags or pinwheels can help deter animals.
- Streamers attached to branches will flap in the wind and startle animals that like to spend time in trees.
- Cut tree limbs at least six to eight feet from your roof.
- Hang bird feeders where only birds can reach them. Keep feeders out of reach of raccoons an possums.
- Place birdbaths where wildlife cannot reach them. Birdbaths, fountains and pet water dishes can attract wildlife pests, especially if water is scarce.”
City officials however, emphasize that the animals must not be harmed or killed so as to prevent them from completely removing the animals from the ecosystem which is especially dangerous as it will allow the increase of rat and insect population.
