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Seal Beach could start killing coyotes; residents plan tribute to dead pets

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Seal Beach could start trapping and killing coyotes amid local uproar over dozens of pets that have fallen victim to the animals.

A five-member task force of Seal Beach residents floated this solution, along with an aggressive campaign to warn residents about dangers associated with coyotes.

The City Council could vote on the recommendations at its meeting Monday night at 7, the Huntington Beach Independent reports. Before the meeting, residents plan to hold a memorial ceremony in honor of the killed pets.

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The panel also recommended the city clean up overgrown areas where coyotes take shelter, mandate that all trash cans be covered and impose fines of up to $100 on residents who directly or indirectly feed the animals.

Tim Revell, a Mount San Antonio College professor who sat on the task force, argued during a meeting Friday that trapping the coyotes was a short-sighted, misguided response that could backfire.

Weaker coyotes that pose less of a problem tend to be the ones that get caught up in the traps, leaving larger packs of smarter, more aggressive coyotes, Revell said.

“What you end up trapping is the slow, dumb, ignorant male coyotes and remove them from the population.” said Revell, who holds a degree in biology with an emphasis on animal behavioral ecology. “Trapping is the worst thing you can do.”

But angry residents are pushing for a solution.

The latest recommendations come after a heated community meeting two weeks ago during which angry residents heckled local officials who suggested using everything from wasp spray to golf clubs as deterrents.

“My goal is to keep you safe,” Seal Beach Police Chief Joseph Stilinovich told the crowd. “I know you don’t feel safe – I get the phone calls. What we have right now isn’t working.”

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