West Seattle got a little extra wildlife with its Thursday morning coffee, as two coyotes were spotted less than an hour apart and in two different neighborhoods. Local readers snapped photos and sent them to a neighborhood news site, showing one coyote strolling near a community pool and tennis club in Arbor Heights and another near the Morgan-and-Lanham intersection in High Point.
Where They Were Seen
According to the West Seattle Blog, the first image landed just before 8:30 a.m., credited to a reader identified as “Amanda.” The second sighting came in before 9:20 a.m. from a reader named “Susan.” The blog’s post includes both photos and points readers to its long-running archive of local coyote reports.
What Wildlife Officials Advise
The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife reminds residents that coyotes are a normal part of the urban ecosystem, but that people should still keep them wary of humans. WDFW recommends humane “hazing,” which can include making loud noises, waving your arms or tossing small objects in the animal’s direction to re-establish a healthy fear of people. The agency advises never running from an approaching coyote.
To avoid drawing coyotes closer, WDFW also urges residents to remove attractants by keeping cats indoors, feeding pets inside, securing garbage and trimming low shrubs where coyotes could hide or lurk.
Who To Contact
If a coyote appears injured, acts aggressively or attacks a pet, the Seattle Animal Shelter advises calling its animal-control line at (206) 386-7387 or using the city’s online service-request system. In an immediate public-safety emergency, officials say to call 911.
The shelter notes that injured wild animals should be taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator when possible, and that routine sightings on their own do not always require an officer response.
Neighborhood Context
The West Seattle Blog has kept a running archive of coyote sightings for roughly 19 years, regularly publishing reader reports so neighbors know where the animals are moving. Both the blog and wildlife officials emphasize that many sightings reflect coyotes using green corridors to get around rather than posing an immediate public-safety threat.
The bottom line for residents, they say, is to secure potential food sources and to haze coyotes that wander too close, keeping the animals wary and the neighborhood informed.
