Town wildlife biologist reports spike in coyote sightings; trapping and collaring planned

Kiawah Island’s wildlife biologist, Jim, reported a recent surge in coyote sightings and outlined a plan to better track and manage the animals.

Jim told the council the town has collected 49 coyote reports in the public reporting system, 39 of them in January, most concentrated in Ocean Park. “So far since May, we … have had 49 coyote sightings entered into that. 39 of those were in the month of January,” he said. He told the council daytime sightings have dropped in February.

To better understand the animals’ range and behavior, Jim said the town will begin trapping and fitting 2–4 animals with GPS collars beginning Feb. 17. The collars will help staff estimate population size and movement patterns: “my current estimate of coyote population size is 4 to 10,” he said, adding the island likely supports two resident pairs plus transients.

Jim and council members emphasized nonlethal management. He explained that transient coyotes move long distances and that lethal removal can be ineffective: some collared or transient coyotes moved off‑island or long distances within weeks, he said, and removed animals are often replaced by others. The council heard the town will step up shorebird stewards during key migration windows, maintain a public reporting form and map online, and use targeted hazing if an animal appears to be losing fear of people.

Council members and staff noted the coyote work is part of a broader wildlife and resiliency committee effort and that additional public education and enforcement resources will be needed for coexistence. The council did not vote on new rules; Jim framed the collaring and monitoring as data‑collection to guide future actions.

The next steps are the scheduled trapping/collaring operation, continued public reporting and a review of monitoring data that staff said will inform any future operational changes.