Challenging the “Georgia Coyote Challenge” ~ Camilla Fox Interviews Dr. Chris Mowry

by Project CoyoteJun 13, 2018Notes From the Field

Dr. Chris Mowry founded the Atlanta Coyote Project in 2015, and last year we were fortunate to have him join Project Coyote’s esteemed Science Advisory Board.

Since Chris joined Project Coyote, he has become actively involved in helping to expand our Coyote Friendly Communities Program in Atlanta, Georgia, and beyond. He has also been instrumental in garnering opposition to the Georgia Coyote Challenge, a de facto state-sanctioned coyote killing contest.

We are grateful to Chris for his dedication and passion for America’s Song Dog, and for his willingness to channel his energy into speaking publicly against the wanton cruelty inflicted on coyotes in killing contests and government-sanctioned predator control programs.

Enjoy this interview with Chris—and please share with others who you think would find it, and our work for North America’s predators, of interest.

For Wild Nature,

Camilla H. Fox
Founder & Executive Director

Camilla: You studied mammal social systems as a graduate student and now teach at Berry College, where you’ve conducted a range of coyote studies. Tell us about these studies, what you’ve learned, and what you are now teaching students about ecology and conservation.

Chris: One of my former students got me interested in coyotes in the early 2000s. Berry College is the largest contiguous college campus in the world. It sits on 26,000 acres of absolutely beautiful land. We have a student-operated dairy farm and we knew that coyote sightings were increasing on campus because the dairy students were seeing and hearing coyotes, although negative interactions were almost nonexistent. We started our studies with simple camera trapping and scat analysis to learn more about the local coyote population. One of our first breakthroughs was confirming the existence of melanistic (black) coyotes. In 2006 and 2007, we initiated a radio-telemetry study to learn more about the ranging patterns of the coyotes in our area. Several of the coyotes we collared were black, which gave us the opportunity to get a good close-up look at these rare and beautiful animals. We eventually published a paper on this unique phenotype in 2014 after learning that the trait is extremely rare in other parts of North America. Whenever possible, we now provide tissue samples from melanistic coyotes to our colleagues at the Canine Ancestry Project at Princeton University in an attempt to learn more about coyote genetics and their evolutionary history.

Coyotes are now featured prominently in several of the undergraduate biology courses I teach. In my Behavioral Ecology class, we study their vocalizations and social structure, as well as their fondness for persimmons (which are a staple of the coyote diet here in the southeast at certain times of the year). I also talk a lot about coyotes in my Conservation Biology class because the extirpation of the red wolf in the southeast helped to pave the way for the coyote’s geographic expansion. The coyote now appears to be filling the role of the apex predator in the southeastern U.S., which as an animal ecologist I find fascinating.

Camilla: You’ve dedicated much of your life to social mammals, like coyotes ~ which some refer to as America’s native “Song Dog.” Tell us why you find these animals so fascinating and worthy of study and protection.

Chris: My love of the natural world drew me to the discipline. There is nothing more exciting to me than having the opportunity to observe animals in the wild, which I got to do while studying non-human primates in Africa. We humans obviously have an affinity for canids, as evidenced by the fact that we went to the trouble to domesticate wild wolves! Watching the coyote as it potentially fills the void left by the red wolf is fascinating to me as a biologist. We have a front-row seat to evolution, adaptation, predator-prey interactions, and all kinds of other biological concepts as they play out with coyotes here in the southeast, and I find that opportunity too great to pass up.

Camilla: Now tell us about the Atlanta Coyote Project (ACP) ~ its mission, your involvement, and how ACP will add to predator conservation in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

Chris: As I became more involved in coyote research, I started giving public lectures about my work. One of the first was at Atlanta’s Fernbank Science Center, where my old friend from Emory University, Larry Wilson, was the staff ecologist. Larry is a fantastic biologist who has worked with a variety of species around the world, and we were interested in learning more about coyotes in urban habitats. As a result, we founded the Atlanta Coyote Project in 2015 as a framework for our research efforts and as a way to provide public education about coyotes. Our mission is threefold: 1) education (providing general information on the biology and natural history of coyotes); 2) coordination (providing a centralized location for the public to map and report coyote sightings from around the metro Atlanta area); and 3) research (to conduct peer-reviewed, scientific research). Through our efforts, we are attempting to demonstrate the value of coyotes to a healthy and functioning ecosystem.

Camilla: You recently joined Project Coyote’s Science Advisory Board and have become actively involved with the organization. Tell us about why you decided to give your time and talents to Project Coyote, and what it is about our work and our approach to compassionate carnivore conservation and coexistence that resonates with you.

Chris: I was introduced to Project Coyote by my friend and collaborator, Bob Crabtree. The mission and efforts of Project Coyote align perfectly with many of our Atlanta Coyote Project goals, and the team at Project Coyote is comprised of true professionals. To have the opportunity to become involved with some of the most respected canid advocates and researchers from around the world was an honor for me. Project Coyote has tremendous experience and resources that can be put to use towards advocating for predator conservation. I am thrilled to be able to tap into that network.

Camilla: One of the first issues that you’ve worked on with Project Coyote is confronting the Georgia Coyote Challenge (GCC)—a de facto state-sanctioned killing contest. Tell us about the GCC and why you challenged it on a scientific, ethical and economic basis.

Chris: The launch of the Georgia Coyote Challenge by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources—the very organization tasked with being responsible stewards of all wildlife in the state—was truly astounding to me. Perhaps I was overly naïve! This coyote-killing contest was initiated in March 2017 with no public input, and there is no end to it in sight. It is now an annual event that runs from March through August, thereby ensuring maximum lethal effect on coyotes during pup-rearing season. Contestants turn in dead coyotes for the opportunity to win a lifetime hunting license. From a scientific perspective, state wildlife biologists should know that killing predators leads to unintended ecological consequences. In fact, the Georgia DNR recognized the value of the coyote as a predator in our ecosystem and said so on their website. However, once the Georgia Coyote Challenge was initiated and I called attention to their positive statement about coyotes, they removed it from their website. They’ve published similar positive comments in their most recent Deer Management Reports and expressed opposition to coyote bounty programs, yet they now blatantly ignore their own recommendations. This killing contest also angers me as a public citizen in that state officials are making unilateral decisions about the value of certain species. Many people in the state of Georgia share my concerns, yet our voices have been ignored. Hopefully, the Atlanta Coyote Project, Project Coyote, and other allies can help these voices to be heard. We sent a letter, which was signed by all members of Project Coyote’s Science Advisory Board, to the governor of Georgia and to DNR officials expressing our opposition to the Georgia Coyote Challenge and the unintended ecological consequences that will likely follow. Unfortunately, we received no response, but we will continue to work with state legislators and in the court of public opinion to try and put a stop to wildlife killing contests in Georgia.

Camilla: Do you find it difficult to challenge predator (mis)management practices like trapping, poisoning, and killing contests, and what do you think are some of the best approaches to enact reforms?

Chris: It is difficult, particularly when state wildlife agencies are sanctioning these practices. What is the average person supposed to think if the state is encouraging the killing of coyotes and telling them that it needs to be done because coyotes are having a negative impact on other wildlife species? Education is the best approach to enact reform. Fear and concern comes from ignorance and misinformation. We are trying to educate people about coyotes while also showing the rich tapestry of biodiversity that coyotes are a part of.

Camilla: Project Coyote and the Atlanta Coyote Project recently teamed up to promote compassionate coexistence with coyotes through Project Coyote’s Coyote Friendly Communities Program. Can you tell us a bit more about this, and how you think these efforts will benefit communities in the Atlanta, Georgia area?

Chris: I am hopeful that programs like Coyote Friendly Communities can make a difference. As an example, I was recently contacted by an affluent neighborhood in Atlanta that hired a trapper in an attempt to rid itself of a “coyote problem.” Homes in this community sit on large wooded lots that lie close to the Chattahoochee River corridor. It is a natural paradise, yet some residents are now considering the construction of a fence around the entire 70+ acres neighborhood to keep out unwanted wildlife! Helping people to learn how to appreciate, respect, and coexist with coyotes and other wildlife is the goal of the Coyote Friendly Communities Program. Typically, it is a small vocal minority within a neighborhood that leads the charge for coyote eradication because the other residents simply don’t know what to do. Our proactive efforts directed at education and the prevention of conflict can empower community members to speak out against the unintended consequences of coyote killing, to express their ethical opposition to such efforts, and to embrace a sensible way forward. The Atlanta Coyote Project’s partnership with Project Coyote has already paid dividends in that we are able to connect like-minded people in different parts of the country who can offer sound practical advice on avoiding human-coyote conflict.