Eastern Kentucky University
Attitudes of South-Central Kentucky Residents Towards Coyotes and their Management
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Wildlife Management
Minor
Statistics
Institution 23-24
Eastern Kentucky University
KY House District #
89
KY Senate District #
25
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Stephen Sumithran, PhD.
Department
Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract
The existence of the coyote in the eastern U.S. is a recent development and the public’s perception of coyotes has been widely studied in urban areas. However, perceptions in rural areas, especially rural Appalachia, have been largely unstudied. It is necessary for wildlife managers to understand the public’s perceptions of coyotes and coyote management when creating management plans. We conducted a public survey in South-central Kentucky to determine perceptions toward coyotes and coyote management methods. The survey contained questions about demographics (age, gender, county of residence, landownership, etc.), perceptions (fears, opinions), knowledge (true/false questions), and preferred management practices (hunting, trapping, lethal vs. nonlethal). We had a total of 115 respondents participate in the survey until date. Amongst other findings, we found that 28.2% of respondents somewhat wish or strongly wish that Kentucky did not have a population of coyotes. 63.5% of respondents believed that coyotes pose a significant threat to pets, and 24.7% of respondents believe that coyotes pose a significant threat to them or their family. We also found that 82.4% of respondents supported the hunting and killing of coyotes by licensed hunters and landowners, but only 22.4% of respondents supported the trapping and killing of coyotes by licensed trappers and landowners.
Attitudes of South-Central Kentucky Residents Towards Coyotes and their Management
The existence of the coyote in the eastern U.S. is a recent development and the public’s perception of coyotes has been widely studied in urban areas. However, perceptions in rural areas, especially rural Appalachia, have been largely unstudied. It is necessary for wildlife managers to understand the public’s perceptions of coyotes and coyote management when creating management plans. We conducted a public survey in South-central Kentucky to determine perceptions toward coyotes and coyote management methods. The survey contained questions about demographics (age, gender, county of residence, landownership, etc.), perceptions (fears, opinions), knowledge (true/false questions), and preferred management practices (hunting, trapping, lethal vs. nonlethal). We had a total of 115 respondents participate in the survey until date. Amongst other findings, we found that 28.2% of respondents somewhat wish or strongly wish that Kentucky did not have a population of coyotes. 63.5% of respondents believed that coyotes pose a significant threat to pets, and 24.7% of respondents believe that coyotes pose a significant threat to them or their family. We also found that 82.4% of respondents supported the hunting and killing of coyotes by licensed hunters and landowners, but only 22.4% of respondents supported the trapping and killing of coyotes by licensed trappers and landowners.