FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – JULY 6, 2022
Project Coyote and the National Animal Care & Control Association join forces for wildlife coexistence
New partnership provides resources to inform, educate and empower animal control officers and the public about wildlife coexistence
Larkspur, Calif. —Project Coyote and the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) announce a new partnership to help equip animal care officers (ACOs) across the country with the best science-based resources and training needed to foster peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife.
NACA works directly with ACOs across the country to provide standardized training and resources to equip them in providing a wide array of animal field services to their communities. Project Coyote is a national non-profit organization that promotes coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science and advocacy. Together these organizations have a shared interest in ensuring humane and nonlethal approaches to human and wildlife interactions.
“This is an exciting and crucial partnership because it meets a critical need for communities across the country,” said Camilla Fox, Founder and Executive Director for Project Coyote. “Many wildlife species, from coyotes to raccoons, are good at living near humans. We often need help in returning the favor and that’s what these new resources provide: evidence-based information on how to coexist with our wild neighbors.”
During the summer months, ACOs, animal shelters, and police departments across the country typically receive increased calls from community members regarding wildlife sightings in their backyards. Wildlife are actively raising young and working overtime to feed growing families, resulting in increased sightings and activity. This partnership provides the resources needed to equip ACOs to respond humanely and effectively to calls about wildlife.
Project Coyote and NACA have created science-based resources — including door hangers, brochures, and signage — that inform and educate on human-wildlife coexistence and can be directly distributed to communities, shelters, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and similar organizations. These co-branded materials, including a factsheet about dogs and coyotes, a “Don’t Feed Wildlife” sign, “Be Coyote Aware” trail signs and flyers (in both English and Spanish), a hazing field guide and a coexistence tip card, are available on the new partnership webpage.
“NACA is honored to partner with Project Coyote to support animal control officers who encounter coyotes in their daily roles,” stated Jerrica Owen, Executive Director for the National Animal Care & Control Association. “We feel that our partnership will support officers across the country by ensuring Animal Control officers have the resources, and educational content to better support the coexistence between the two.”
Coyotes sightings and interactions are one of the most common calls that ACOs will receive during these summer months. A typical call may describe an interaction such as coyotes exhibiting “escorting” behavior, which is normal this time of year, as coyotes will sometimes follow humans and their dogs near their dens to ensure they are not a threat to their puppies. Proper public education about wildlife behavior and how community members can properly respond is crucial for reducing conflicts and fostering peaceful coexistence with wildlife.
“My job as an ACO was all about helping folks live peacefully with their wild neighbors,” explained John Maguranis, Project Coyote’s Massachusetts Representative and former Animal Control Officer in Belmont, Massachusetts. “ACOs are important first responders when the public has questions about backyard wildlife and these informational resources will help equip ACOs in supporting their communities. As I like to say, knowledge conquers fear.”
The organizations are jointly hosting a webinar for ACOs and the public on July 13th with speaker John Maguranis, who will share firsthand experiences about the importance of coexistence from his 18-year career as an ACO in Massachusetts.
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Project Coyote, a fiscally-sponsored project of Earth Island Institute, is a North American coalition of scientists, educators, conservationists, and community leaders promoting compassionate conservation and coexistence between humans and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy. Visit ProjectCoyote.org for more information.
The National Animal Care & Control Association is a non-profit organization that is committed to setting the standard of professionalism in animal welfare and public safety through training, networking, and advocacy. NACA envisions a world in which all animal care and control professionals are respected as essential public servants and receive consistent support, resources and training allowing them to effectively and compassionately achieve the highest quality of life for the animals and citizens in the community they serve.