Now the city is paying a pest control company $30,000 to find coyotes and kill them. Once trapped, the coyotes are euthanized because state law prohibits trapped coyotes from being relocated to other areas.
"There are reports of the different ways that the animals are finally killed," said Bonnie Baron of Arcadia. "They are killed after they are trapped. They do exterminate them."
Baron says there are other ways to deal with the coyote issue. She feels the city started the program without giving residents the chance to discuss it.
"It bothers me greatly that there was no public input into this decision. It was decided at a special session on August 3," said Baron.
Since the program began on August 16, at least three coyotes have been trapped and killed. The program was in effect several years ago before budget cuts forced its closure. During that time, between 53 and 63 coyotes were trapped and killed each year.
Lisa Lange from PETA says that their homes were destroyed by the Station Fire and they are simply looking for food.
"These animals don't want to be in our neighborhoods anymore than we want them here," said Lange. "They are here because we are definitely feeding them our domestic animals. We have to take responsibility and bring our animals in. Never leave your dogs or cats out."
The city says it is using humane traps that are approved by the Department of Fish and Game. The traps will be checked daily.
The city says not all coyotes can be caught with traps, so people should be cautious and always supervise young children and pets while they're outside.
The Arcadia City Council will meet on Tuesday to hear from residents who both support and oppose the coyote trapping program.
