UGA studying coyote behavior in metro Atlanta
A coyote stands in the animal park of Sainte-Croix on November 22, 2018, in Rhodes, eastern France, as six specimens are recently welcomed for the first time. (Photo by JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty Images)
ATLANTA - The University of Georgia has launched a new study looking at the behavior of coyotes in metro Atlanta.
While it's no secret that coyotes live in the area, researchers at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources want to know what draws them here and how they behave.
For the next three years, researchers on the project will track coyote movements and use the data with other demographic information to get a fuller picture of how wildlife adapts to human environments.
"This research will allow us to better understand the relationship between the design of urban landscapes and wildlife distribution, as well as human-wildlife interactions," said Summer Fink, a doctoral student and the lead researcher on the project. "For coyotes specifically, we will be able to measure how they are using these urban landscapes, how they move throughout these areas and how this might relate back to reported wildlife interactions and management challenges."
The university has teamed up with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to learn about wildlife interactions and use the data to inform new education outreach programs.
Along with the GPS data, the team is also setting up wildlife cameras around the metro Atlanta area.
For more information about the program, visit WildlifeAtlanta.org.