Coyotes Targeted In Hazing Program In Boulder Parks & Open Space

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- Boulder Parks and Open Space employees hit the trails on Friday to harass coyotes hoping to get them to move on.

Since Christmas there have been eight coyote-human encounters including one Friday morning. Another encounter resulted in a severe bite.

All encounters have happened along the Boulder Creek Path between Arapahoe and Pearl in Boulder.

Employees with the Boulder Parks and Recreation district hit that stretch on Friday morning to try to convince the coyotes to move on.

It didn't take long after they started the exercise for one woman to spot a coyote.

"I had a water bottle full of coins to make a lot of noise and he or she was right by the path so I started shaking it and yelling which is what you do when you're hazing them to scare them," said Boulder Open Space staff member Kaitlyn Merriman.

The hazing will continue for 28 days in an effort to convince the coyotes they don't want to be with humans and should move on.