In The Pipeline:

Recently, a coyote that lived in Central Park was captured (with the use of chemical darts) and then killed by animal control officers.

Given all of the reports I’ve been reading about coyotes (some e-mailed from readers of this column), the story aroused my curiosity. Just what had happened June 21?

Evidently, there had been reports that the coyote in question had begun exhibiting certain aggressive behaviors toward people, and that’s when the department stepped in. But just how bad had it been? There are many coyotes living in Huntington Beach. I see them from time to time at the wetlands but this was something you just don’t hear happening that often. I’ve never heard of it in the 10 years we’ve lived here.

I called Ryan Drabek, interim director at OC Animal Care, the organization responsible for what happened.

“The animal was charging and growling at people,” he told me. “And when there is something that presents a specific public safety hazard, well, public safety comes first.”

Fair enough. Could the animal have been relocated?

“The success rate of doing that is very small,” Drabek said. “You take it up a hill and let it go, but then you are just moving the problem around. It could endanger other people, get killed by another wild animal; it’s not a viable solution.”

Drabek also stressed how rare this situation is.

“I can’t remember the last time this happened. Typically, we rehab coyotes and other animals when they’re injured, we don’t put them down. But again, after you get a series of calls about one animal and a series of aggressive actions, you don’t want to wait until there’s one catastrophic event. And the calls were mounting.”

Lt. Brian Tidrick from the Huntington Beach Police Department confirmed that there had been reports on the coyote in question.

“It looks like OC Animal Care Services had approximately eight complaints in June where the coyote was acting aggressively toward people and a couple of calls that were just sightings,” he told me. “As far as I can tell we had about five where the coyote was acting aggressively toward people or animals and a couple of sightings.”

As to why the animal may have been behaving aggressively, Drabek had also pointed out the responsibility of people.

“The more wildlife to human interaction there is, the more likely the animal will become more brazen,” he said. “Humans become a food source, causing the animals to become more brazen. As soon as coyotes become comfortable around people, trouble starts. Interaction is not a good thing.”

Which is not to say people were not upset. Carol Williams, the administrative coordinator at the Shipley Nature Center, understood that a wild animal must be dealt with, but she also sees coyotes being taunted by neighborhood kids and being reported by people simply for walking through a neighborhood. And it frustrates her, especially considering that the coyote that was euthanized may have simply been rebelling against human activity.

“We see people leave their dogs off leash all the time in the park, which is dangerous for the dogs,” she said. “Coyotes don’t go looking for trouble, but if presented with a predatory opportunity, they might take it.”

Julie Morris, a docent who recently gave an urban wildlife talk at Shipley, was outraged over the event.

“Coyotes in the area are a natural occurrence, which people need to understand and not freak out over,” she said. “Because of people feeding their pets outside, leaving garbage outside, letting their dogs run loose in Central Park — it’s affecting how the coyotes behave. So what happened will keep happening if people don’t start realizing coyotes are here to stay — and that’s a good thing considering the number of mice, rats and other things coyotes keep in check. This isn’t a coyote problem; it’s a people and their dogs problem.”

Cindy Traisi, assistant manager at the Fund for Animals Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Ramona, agrees.

“People are going to have to learn to tolerate these animals because they’re not going to go away. If you know that you live in a coyote area, don’t leave your pet unattended, don’t leave food out — and if you come in contact with a coyote, make lots of noise. They’ll relocate themselves.”

Here are some tips from the OC Animal Care website:

 Fence off animal enclosures (fully enclose if possible).

 Keep cats and small dogs indoors or in the close presence of an adult.

 Feed pets indoors.

 Store trash in covered heavy-duty containers.

 Keep yards free from potential shelter such as thick brush and weeds.

 Enclose the bottoms of porches and decks.

 Eliminate potential food and water sources, such as fallen fruit and standing water.

Also: “Coyotes are found in all areas of Orange County. Contrary to popular belief, these animals do not require open space or ‘wild areas’ to survive. In fact, most coyotes within the urban setting are the offspring of generations of coyotes who lived and flourished in the urban areas of Orange County.

Though these animals are far from domesticated, they are very comfortable living in close proximity to human beings. They have little fear of humans and are frequently seen trotting along within a few feet of joggers, bikers and horseback riders. While not normally a danger to human beings, coyotes will display defensive behaviors if threatened or cornered; therefore, it is important to leave a comfortable distance between you and a coyote.”

You can contact the organization at (714) 935-6848 or www.ocpetinfo.com.

A lot of this stuff is common sense. Keep your dogs on leashes where the law requires (yes, even you folks near the wetlands who profanely lash out when it’s politely pointed out to that you’re not above the law and that while you find it funny when your hound is chasing egrets, it won’t be that funny when a coyote makes a meal of Fido).

Don’t engage with wild animals. We’re lucky to live among such vibrant wildlife here. Let’s respect it and behave sensibly.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 14 books, including the new “Huntington Beach Then & Now.” You can write him at [email protected] .