City to trap killer coyotes

Amid a flurry of reports of coyotes showing up in many different parts of Arcadia and killing and injuring many dogs and cats, the City Council on Tuesday directed staff to hire Animal Pest Management (APM) at a cost of $30,000 per year to conduct a trapping program similar to what was done in Arcadia a few years ago. APM will trap for up to one year in 10-day sessions in the areas most impacted, according to Linda Garcia, the City’s Communications, Marketing and Special Projects Manager. According to state law, the trapped coyotes will be euthanized by lethal injection since the City is prohibited from relocating wild animals. The City is in the process of getting the contract and insurance documents in place and expects to begin the program in the next couple of weeks, she said.

A July 23 report here at ArcadiasBest.com of two dogs and a cat being killed by a coyote within a few days of each other on San Antonio Road and nearby streets between Huntington Drive and Colorado Blvd. prompted a handful of comments by readers who reported spotting coyotes and dead cats and dogs in south Arcadia last week and for several months on 4th Street between Camino Real and Duarte Road, near Camino Real and El Monte Ave., and even south of Longden on Palm Drive near El Monte Ave.

The City, which had the trapping program in place until a couple years ago when it was scrapped due to budget cutbacks, has received dozens of complaints in the past couple of weeks and will thus reinstitute the program.

The City also posted general information on its website about precautions regarding wildlife in the City.

— By Scott Hettrick