A large-scale national study of coyote behavior has found that urban coyotes are more willing to take risks around novel stimuli than their rural counterparts — a finding that arrives as Santa Monica confronts a surge in coyote encounters driven by displacement from the Palisades Fire and faces scrutiny over its lack of a formal wildlife management plan.
The study, published in Scientific Reports in December 2025, deployed camera traps at 623 stations across 16 pairs of urban and rural field sites nationwide and found that while coyotes across the country display consistent neophobic — or fear-of-new-things — behavior, urban coyotes ventured closer to attractants than rural coyotes did. Researchers said the behavioral gap is likely a product of reduced persecution in cities, where recreational hunting is typically prohibited and coyotes face fewer direct threats from humans.
"Solutions developed in one area could be universally useful," the authors wrote, citing the behavioral consistency they observed across urban and rural populations from coast to coast.
The study was conducted by a multi-institutional research team that included scientists from the National Park Service's Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Coyotes at all sites exhibited more cautious behavior — including more time spent vigilant and investigating, and less time behaving comfortably — when a novel object was placed near an attractant, compared to control sites where no object was present. At control sites, coyotes spent nearly 29% of their time in comfortable behaviors such as eating or rolling. At sites with a novel object, that figure dropped to about 12.5%.
The gap between urban and rural coyote behavior was most pronounced in western sites. Western urban coyotes were more frequently detected near attractants than rural coyotes in the same region, a difference that did not emerge among eastern coyotes. The researchers said western rural coyotes likely face greater persecution, including from predators such as gray wolves and mountain lions that persist in some rural areas of the West.
Researchers noted that even in cities, adaptive boldness has a ceiling. Coyotes that become too habituated to humans often end up killed by cars, poisoned, or lethally removed after attacking pets or people.
The study also noted that the behavioral consistency of coyotes across the country suggests management strategies that work in one jurisdiction could transfer to others — a relevant point for California cities still developing their approaches.
A local concern without a local plan
The study's release comes as Santa Monica continues to navigate an escalating coyote situation that wildlife experts have linked directly to the January 2025 Palisades Fire, which burned through large swaths of the Santa Monica Mountains and pushed wildlife — including coyotes — into residential neighborhoods.
The city updated its "How to Live Safely with Urban Coyotes" guidance in May 2025, acknowledging a spike in sightings particularly north of Montana Avenue.
The encounters continued through summer. During the week of July 27, residents on the 400 block of San Vicente Boulevard reported coyotes charging cyclists and displaying little fear of people. Officers witnessed one coyote lunge at a cyclist and observed three coyotes gathering around a tree where a resident had been leaving out pet food — a violation of California law. Animal Control issued a warning and conducted hazing patrols through Aug. 8, using air horns, water guns, and verbal deterrence.
Despite the escalating activity, Santa Monica has no formal coyote management plan. Neighboring cities including West Hollywood, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Redondo Beach have each adopted comprehensive plans with tiered response protocols. Santa Monica relies on its Animal Control Unit, housed under the police department, to handle incidents on a case-by-case basis.
A countywide and statewide pattern
Santa Monica's experience fits within a broader regional trend. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has documented at least 70 coyote bites on humans since 2013, though the department estimates that only 5% to 10% of bites are actually reported. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates roughly 10 to 12 coyote attacks on humans occur statewide each year, mostly involving small children.
Recent high-profile incidents include a coyote that attacked and dragged a 2-year-old girl in Woodland Hills in December 2022, an incident captured on a Ring doorbell camera. A 2-year-old was bitten on the head and face near the Huntington Beach Pier in April 2022. On Aug. 4, 2025, a 6-year-old boy required more than 20 stitches after a coyote attacked him at Del Amo Park in Carson.
The only confirmed fatal coyote attack on a human in United States history occurred in Glendale in 1981, when 3-year-old Kelly Keen was killed in a neighborhood where residents had been feeding coyotes.
A 2019 National Park Service study found that cats account for as much as 20% of urban coyotes' diet in the Los Angeles area.
CDFW estimates between 250,000 and 750,000 coyotes live in California. Under state law, coyotes are classified as nongame mammals that can be taken year-round with no bag limit, though trapped animals must be released or euthanized on-site — relocation is prohibited. A February 2025 petition before the California Fish and Game Commission is seeking to tighten regulations on killing coyotes within urban city limits, while CDFW is pursuing state funding in the 2026-27 fiscal year for a permanent Wildlife Coexistence Program.
Residents can report coyote sightings to Santa Monica Animal Control at (310) 458-8595. Bite incidents should be reported to CDFW at 888-334-2258.
*The study, "Large-scale experimental assessment of coyote behavior across urban and rural landscapes," was published online Dec. 17, 2025, in Scientific Reports.*