San Francisco is looking for the woman whos been feeding raw meat to coyotes in Bernal Hill – San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Animal Care and Control is seeking a woman whos been seen feeding raw meat to coyotes on Bernal Hill.

On Wednesday morning the city agency posted a photo of the woman, captured by a neighborhood hiker, to its social media platforms, along with a request for help in identifying her.

A sequence of images show the woman sitting in the grass with a tinfoil tray of meat, apparently preparing to hand-feed three coyotes who are standing off to the side, 8 feet away.

The same woman may also be feeding coyotes in McLaren Park, according to Virginia Donohue, executive director of Animal Care and Control.

This is 100% a human problem, Donohue said in an interview. We have too many people feeding coyotes or trying to befriend them. Ultimately it ends badly for the wildlife.

Donohue said it was rare to get an identifiable image of someone feeding wild animals. Animal Control officers have been searching for the woman to no avail. But they had no trouble finding three coyotes standing around waiting to be fed at the spot shown in the photo.

The person has trained the animal to think, If I come here at 7:30 there will be a plate of food for me, she said. Wild animals do what works. They dont know that they will approach the wrong person or end up hurting somebody and then they have to be eliminated.

If the woman is identified, she will be warned. If there is a second offense, she can be cited for a misdemeanor and subject to a $1,000 fine. Donohue said people who spot the woman should not approach her but report her and her location.

Donohue said the situation was similar to one earlier this summer, in which an aggressive coyote had to be shot in the Botanical Gardens at Golden Gate Park because it approached toddlers. That particular animal, identified by a scar, had been fed by humans for years.

Coyotes that become reliant on humans lose their fear and attempts to safely trap them are usually futile because coyotes are smarter than traps. Plus there is no place to release a trapped coyote.

They are not a protected species and no other county wants our problem coyote, Donohue said. The only answer is euthanasia.

People who feed coyotes usually give as their reasoning that the animals look hungry. This is due to the natural gaunt physique of the animal.

Coyotes are not hungry. They do not need a plate of food. There is food all over the city, Donohue said.

The coyote population in San Francisco is estimated at fewer than 100. The spring pupping season, when animals might become aggressive in protecting their young, is over. Donohue said in most cases, coyotes are shy and can be scared away by yelling and making sweeping arm gestures.

Hopefully the coyotes will not become a problem, Donohue said. The woman is a problem. We need to reach her to put a stop to this behavior.

Anyone who sees her or anyone else feeding coyotes is asked to report it immediately to Animal Care & Control at 415-554-9400.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF

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San Francisco is looking for the woman whos been feeding raw meat to coyotes in Bernal Hill - San Francisco Chronicle