Why is the federal government still killing coyotes?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Why is the federal government still killing coyotes?"

The Indicator from Planet Money
Host: Darian Woods
Guest: Kate Dario, Producer for Outside Inn
Release Date: March 17, 2025

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Introduction: A Costly Predator Control Program

In the March 17, 2025 episode of The Indicator from Planet Money, host Darian Woods delves into a controversial United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program focused on wildlife damage management, primarily targeting coyotes. The episode explores the economic implications, biological resilience of coyotes, and the effectiveness of lethal versus non-lethal control methods.

USDA's Wildlife Damage Management: An Expensive Endeavor

Kate Dario introduces the USDA's wildlife damage management initiative, which allocates millions of dollars annually to control coyote populations. The program employs various methods, including rifles, cyanide, and aerial gunning, to reduce coyote numbers. However, precise expenditure figures remain undisclosed by the agency. Estimates from news outlets and nonprofits suggest costs range from $200 to $1,600 per coyote, totaling nearly $17 million annually for taxpayers (01:16).

The Paradox of Coyote Control: Increasing the Problem

Contrary to the program's intent, Kate Dario highlights that these eradication efforts might be inadvertently boosting coyote populations. "The program may actually be increasing the number of coyotes overall," Dario explains (01:32). This paradox arises from coyotes' remarkable adaptability and reproductive strategies, which counteract the effects of lethal control.

Coyote Biology: Nature's Resilient Survivors

Christine Wilkinson, a carnivore ecologist from the Bay Area, provides insights into the biological traits that make coyotes exceptionally resilient. "[Coyotes] are generalists. They're very flexible in their diets. They're omnivorous," Wilkinson states (04:13). Their ability to thrive in diverse environments—ranging from rural plains to urban parks like Central Park in New York City—illustrates their adaptability.

Coyotes exhibit compensatory reproduction, increasing litter sizes and breeding earlier when faced with population declines (04:25). This behavior, akin to economic offsetting, ensures that coyote numbers rebound swiftly despite extermination efforts. Additionally, their fission-fusion social structure allows them to operate both collaboratively and independently, further enhancing their survival prospects (07:35).

Historical Context: From Wolves to Coyotes

Dan Flores, an environmental historian and author of Coyote America, traces the origins of the USDA's predator control program. Initially established as the US Biological Survey with a focus on scientific cataloging, the agency pivoted towards predator eradication to secure consistent funding (06:26). Between 1910 and 1925, the Biological Survey successfully eradicated wolves across North America. To fill this ecological void, coyotes were promoted as the new primary predator, leading to nearly $10 million allocated in the 1930s for their eradication (06:47; 07:16).

Economic and Agricultural Impacts

The westward expansion of coyotes in the 19th and 20th centuries coincided with the growth of livestock farming. Ranchers initially blamed wolves for livestock losses, but as wolf populations dwindled, coyotes became the primary target of extermination efforts (04:25; 05:02). In 2019 alone, USDA data reported over 100,000 sheep and lambs killed by coyotes (09:02). However, research indicates that lethal control does not significantly enhance livestock safety. Studies show that non-lethal methods—such as fencing and using guard dogs—are more effective in reducing predation (09:09; 09:23).

Shifting Strategies: Embracing Non-Lethal Management

Recent trends suggest a gradual shift towards non-lethal management practices. From 2004 to 2019, operations utilizing non-lethal methods to protect flocks increased by 140% (09:44). Furthermore, in 2020, Wildlife Services received congressional funding to explore and implement non-lethal techniques. Despite these advancements, policy changes under the Trump administration have introduced uncertainties, leaving the future of coyote management in flux (09:44; 10:17).

Government Response and Public Perception

Efforts to obtain current budgetary information and the USDA's stance on coyote culling were unsuccessful, as the agency did not respond to inquiries (10:17). Public perception remains divided, particularly among the declining American sheep industry, which continues to advocate for lethal control despite evidence favoring non-lethal methods. Christine Wilkinson emphasizes the necessity of coexistence with coyotes: "We need to just accept the fact that there are coyotes and they will continue to persist" (09:35; 09:39).

Conclusion: Reevaluating Predator Control Policies

The episode concludes by questioning the efficacy and financial wisdom of the USDA's ongoing coyote eradication program. With coyotes expanding their range across the United States and adapting to various environments, the traditional approach of lethal control appears increasingly ineffective and economically burdensome. The rise in non-lethal management practices offers a promising alternative, yet legislative and administrative support remains uncertain. As the federal government grapples with balancing agricultural interests, ecological realities, and taxpayer dollars, the future of coyote management hangs in the balance.

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Notable Quotes:

• Darian Woods (04:45): "We call this offsetting behaviour in economics. And that basically means when somebody changes their behaviour in response to a policy meant to limit risk, like riding your bike, more dangerously than you normally would when you're wearing a helmet."

• Dan Flores (07:35): "Our attempts in the American west, which was the coyotes original range, to try to control their populations, resulted in spreading them across the continent as they went into fishing mode."

• Christine Wilkinson (09:39): "We need to just accept the fact that there are coyotes and they will continue to persist."

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This comprehensive exploration sheds light on the complexities of wildlife management, the unintended consequences of predator control programs, and the imperative to adopt more sustainable and effective strategies in coexisting with nature's resilient inhabitants.

Transcript

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[Darian Woods]

This is the Indicator from Planet Money. I'm Darian woods and I'm here with Kate Dario, producer for the public radio podcast Outside Inn. Hey Kate.

[Kate Dario]

Hey Darian.

[Darian Woods]

It is great to have you. You've been reporting on one wildlife program that has been quite controversial over the years.

[Kate Dario]

Yes, the US Department of Agriculture oversees a budget of millions for what it calls wildlife damage management.

[Darian Woods]

Is that some kind of euphemism?

[Kate Dario]

Well, some environmental groups would say so. Part of this program includes the killing of coyotes. Every year. They do this with rifles, cyanide, and even aerial gunning. It's tough to say exactly how much is spent killing coyotes. The agency doesn't readily release those numbers, but news outlets and nonprofits have estimated that it costs anywhere from 200 to $1,600 per coyote.

[Darian Woods]

Doing some back of the envelope math. Being conservative, that means it costs taxpayers close to $17 million to kill coyotes every year.

[Kate Dario]

Yeah, but here's the thing. That program may actually be increasing the number of coyotes overall.

[Darian Woods]

So today on the indicator, why is the government spending millions of dollars on a program that is exacerbating a perceived problem? And could that money be better spent?

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[Kate Dario]

So it is important to note that coyotes are indigenous to North America. They emerged as a distinct species in the American Southwest and Great Plains about a million years ago.

[Darian Woods]

And along the way, they have developed a batch of traits that have made them super scrappy. You'll often hear people say something along the lines of, when the world ends, all that will be left is roaches, rats and coyotes.

[Kate Dario]

Christine Wilkinson is a carnivore ecologist based in the Bay Area in California. She says she feels empathy for these misunderstood creatures.

[Christine Wilkinson]

I can more easily relate not just to my study animals who face all sorts of issues, but also to the different communities and types of people that.

[Darian Woods]

I work with, Christine says. Unlike wolves and other predators, coyotes have a big evolutionary advantage. They're not picky.

[Christine Wilkinson]

Coyotes are generalists. They're very flexible in their diets. They're omnivorous.

[Kate Dario]

They're also behaviorally and socially flexible. They can hunt either at night or during the day, which makes it easier for them to adapt to diverse environments.

[Darian Woods]

And they have some unique reproductive tricks that make trying to kill them off likely to bite you in the butt. As Christine puts it.

[Kate Dario]

First, there's evidence coyotes will demonstrate what is termed compensatory reproduction when under attack. What that means is their litter sizes will increase to make up for the coyotes being killed off, and you'll see younger coyotes breeding earlier.

[Darian Woods]

We call this offsetting behaviour in economics. And that basically means when somebody changes their behaviour in response to a policy meant to limit risk, like riding your bike, more dangerously than you normally would when you're wearing a helmet. For coyotes, that means breeding more when they're being hunted.

[Kate Dario]

And I'll throw in some Latin here, too. Coyotes know something ancient classical philosophers knew well. Oru vacui. Excuse my pronunciation, I would have no idea. Well, it means roughly, nature abhors a vacuum.

[Christine Wilkinson]

If sort of a niche opens up where that breeding pair has been killed off, then another breeding pair can emerge really easily, or new coyotes can move into the area very easily.

[Kate Dario]

So normally, within just a few years, you'll have the same number of coyotes in your backyard, or maybe even more.

[Darian Woods]

Plus, there's evidence that coyotes become more aggressive after an extermination event, leading to more conflict, which can be fueled by coyotes trying to feed their now larger litters.

[Kate Dario]

All of this means the westward expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries actually helped coyotes expand their territory. Farmers and ranchers brought livestock like cows, chickens, sheep and pigs, Easy snacks for predators.

[Darian Woods]

And ranchers were soon concerned about their animals being attacked. At first, wolves were seen as the primary culprits, but then coyotes.

[Kate Dario]

This is when you see the origins of today's wildlife services program. Its predecessor was called the US Biological survey, and its primary goal was science, cataloguing the country's wildlife.

[Darian Woods]

But historically, congress was sometimes skeptical about funding pure scientific research, so the little agency pivoted.

[Dan Flores]

So the biological survey, primarily to get regular funding, advocates that it's the solution to the so called predator problem in America.

[Kate Dario]

That's Dan Flores, an environmental historian and author of the book Coyote America. He says the biological survey was really good at killing wolves.

[Dan Flores]

Between about 1910 and 1925, the Biological Survey essentially wipes out wolves in north America. And so the biological survey realizes, okay, we've got to have another animal that we can promote as a real threat to America. And that's when they come up with the idea that the coyote is the only arch predator of the 20th century.

[Darian Woods]

That pitch worked, and nearly $10 million was allotted in the 1930s to eradicate coyotes and other species. Poison or traps are the more usual way of killing coyotes. There's one now, but we now know because of compensatory reproduction and orovacui, this didn't work.

[Kate Dario]

And there's a third biological trait at play here. Coyotes are considered a fission fusion species. They can work together, that is fuse when it benefits them all or separate. That's the fission part, when environmental conditions make that more advantageous. In other words, they can be solitary or social, Depending on whichever behavior benefits them at a given time.

[Darian Woods]

All of these factors explain how coyotes ended up just about everywhere in the lower 48.

[Dan Flores]

Intriguingly enough, our attempts in the American west, which was the coyotes original range, to try to control their populations, Resulted in spreading them across the continent as they went into fishing mode.

[Kate Dario]

So instead of exterminating coyotes, the federal government has helped triple their range over the past 150 years. They can now be found in just about every corner of this country, from the plains of Montana to the suburbs of Atlanta to even downtown Manhattan.

[Darian Woods]

Yeah, I've seen on social media posts of coyotes in Central park. I was pretty surprised.

[Kate Dario]

They're very cosmopolitan, they seem to be.

[Darian Woods]

And you know, they've been reported grabbing small pets and even on the rare.

[Kate Dario]

Occasions, nipping people Wildlife Services, plus other state and local agencies still see killing coyotes as a solution primarily to protect livestock. Reports of them grabbing small pets and nipping people, those are really, really low. But people are nervous sometimes and this is a debate that runs very deep for many, especially in the American sheep industry, which has been in decline for decades.

[Darian Woods]

USDA data reported more than 100,000 sheep and lambs killed in 2019 by coyotes.

[Kate Dario]

Still, research has undermined the idea that lethal management makes sheep safer. There are studies demonstrating that non lethal management techniques like fencing and guard dogs are more effective at reducing predation than just killing a bunch of coyotes.

[Darian Woods]

Plus, a 2006 paper found that coyotes weren't the reason for the sheep industry's shrinking size. This paper found increasing production costs and decreasing lamb prices played a bigger role.

[Kate Dario]

Christine Wilkinson's we learn to live with coyotes.

[Christine Wilkinson]

We need to just accept the fact that there are coyotes and they will continue to persist.

[Darian Woods]

And there are numbers that indicate we may be on the road to doing this. Non lethal management practices have grown in popularity in recent years. The number of operations using non lethal methods to protect their flocks increased by more than 140% from 2004 to 2019, and Wildlife Services started receiving congressional funding to research non lethal methods in 2020. That said, there are a lot of changes taking place at federal agencies under the Trump administration and answers are not easy to get.

[Kate Dario]

We reached out to the USDA to ask about its current budget for this program and whether they think Kauriq culling is still a wise use of taxpayer dollars. They did not respond to our emails or a couriered letter.

[Darian Woods]

This episode was produced and fact checked by Julia R. And Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by James Willits. Kate Concannon edits the show and the indicator is a production of npr.

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