Knowledge increases informative reporting by the public about urban coyotes.

Area of Science:

• Urban wildlife ecology
• Human-wildlife conflict management
• Citizen science

Background:

• Municipalities rely on citizen reports for wildlife conflict monitoring.
• Excessive reports of benign behavior can hinder management of critical human-wildlife interactions.
• Edmonton, Canada faces challenges with managing wildlife reports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing residents' decisions to report benign vs. conflict-prone coyote behavior.
• To understand predictors of informed reporting for better wildlife management.
• To inform targeted education strategies for human-coyote coexistence.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 5,926 Edmonton residents on reporting intentions for different coyote behaviors.
• Path modeling to analyze demographic, situational, cognitive, and experiential predictors.
• Analysis of reporting agreement for benign sightings and reporting difference for conflict-prone vs. benign sightings.

Main Results:

• Reporting benign coyote behavior was linked to prior calls, higher perceived risk, less severe past interactions, and knowledge of food conditioning.
• Reporting conflict-prone behavior was associated with lower perceived risk and greater knowledge of food conditioning.
• Higher perceived risk correlated with more severe interactions, often near green spaces.

Conclusions:

• Education campaigns can enhance public recognition of benign wildlife behavior and conflict potential.
• Targeted outreach in residential areas near green spaces can mitigate human-coyote conflicts.
• Improving citizen understanding of coyote behavior and food conditioning is crucial for effective wildlife management.