DOW Reminds Public Not To Feed Coyotes, Foxes

March 12, 2004

A group of skiers at a southwestern Colorado ski resort learned a hard lesson a few years ago when a coyote they had been feeding out of kindness bit a woman before it had to be put down to ensure the safety of others. In another case, a coyote bit a 5-year-old boy at a Colorado Springs park last fall after the child approached the animal thinking it was a dog. Wildlife officials said people had been feeding that coyote as well.

Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) officers who helped investigate these cases are tapping into such anecdotal evidence as a public-service reminder that feeding coyotes and foxes is not only an act of misguided kindness, it is now illegal in Colorado. Under a regulation that went into effect on March 1, municipal, county and state law-enforcement officers can fine violators up to $68 for feeding coyotes or foxes.

"We view this as primarily a human safety issue," said Denver Area Wildlife Manager Liza Moore. "We reviewed research and additional information from other states, and it clearly showed that most of the incidents where fox and coyotes injured people occurred after the animals had been regularly fed by people.

"We understand that people often feed wildlife because they think they’re helping the animals," Moore said. "But the results are often bad for both humans and the animals that have been fed."

Colorado has had laws prohibiting the feeding of big game wildlife for years. Wildlife officers can ticket people for inadvertently feeding wildlife by leaving out garbage, pet food and other food sources known to attract bears and other animals. Even bird food can attract larger wildlife to urban and suburban backyards, said western Colorado Springs District Wildlife Manager Trina Lynch.

"It can lead to attracting predators near your home," Lynch said. "I have had that occur on more than one circumstance."

Littleton District Wildlife Manager Suzanne Tracey suggested the regulation to prohibit feeding coyotes and foxes after she dealt with several incidents in which animals that had been regularly fed lost their normal wariness of people. Moore carried Tracey’s recommendation up the chain of command and the Colorado Wildlife Commission adopted the regulation in January.