Movements and human interactions of coyotes near national park boundaries

Abstract

In 1992, I surveyed 359 National Park Service units to determine the presence of coyotes and to assess problems and management activities. Coyotes were reported in 42% of all parks in 1992. Management activities for coyotes varied, but in general coyotes were not a management problem. I examined the annual, seasonal, and daily movements of coyotes (Canis latrans) near the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Monument from December 1991 through December 1992. I estimated annual and seasonal home-range areas and daily movements using minimum convex polygon (MCP) and harmonic mean (60% isopleth) estimates from 1,412 point relocations and 432 continuous relocations of 9 coyotes (6 M and 3 F). The average annual MCP home range estimate was 15.7 km2 and harmonic mean was 2.3 km2 Annual and seasonal home range areas did not differ (P > 0.05) between suburban and rural areas or between males and females. Daily average MCP estimate was 1.5 km2 and harmonic mean was 0.5 km2 Daily movements of coyotes also did not differ (P > 0.05) between study areas or sexes.