Wildlife has been popping up all around Los Angeles in unexpected areas. Just last week a 500-pound bear that survived the wildfires was found hiding under a house in Altadena. Even here on USC’s campus, an unexpected guest has been lurking around - several students have reported late-night coyote sightings.
Nicole Bednar, a senior studying journalism, shared her encounter with the animal this weekend.
“We were right behind old Annenberg, and it came out from behind a tree and snapped at us, literally tried attacking us. When we looked back, it was bearing its teeth and looked super hungry,” Bednar said.
Like Bednar, other students have reported feeling threatened by the coyote. The Daily Trojan has been covering this story for the past few days as sightings continue. Two freshmen, Noor Saulat and Hector Rodriguez, said that they “parkoured” onto a window ledge to escape the animal.
The USC Department of Public Safety (DPS) urged students against this kind of behavior when encountering coyotes. In their statement, DPS said “If a coyote becomes aggressive, animal experts recommend that you do not run. Making loud noises will typically scare a coyote away.” Additionally, they recommend calling the DPS emergency number.
Miguel Ordeñana is a USC alum and a wildlife educator and biologist at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County. A few years ago he participated in a National Parks Service study tracking coyotes in parks just south of USC. Ordeñana says they typically don’t attack people.
“They actively avoid us when they can, and the only times that they do come out around us is when we feed them,” Ordeñana said.
Ordeñana advises that when facing an aggressive coyote, you should “make a lot of noise, scream, yell, raise your arms in the air, make yourself look big.”
You might be wondering - how did this coyote get to USC? Ordenana says it’s unlikely the coyote made it all the way here from the wildfires. More likely, if found resources here, and decided to call it home.