Wildlife Safety Guidelines 

Outdoor cats are at great risk in Silicon Valley. Coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions will go after them. To ensure your pet's safety, keep cats indoors, especially at night. 

Don't assume that coyotes and bobcats aren't present in your neighborhood! These animals can be found in most neighborhoods in the valley, as they use creeks to move around urban areas.

Rodenticides are poisons used to exterminate rats, gophers, and other pests. However, these chemicals have adverse effects on other parts of the environment too. When animals such as bobcats or coyotes eat a poisoned rodent, they absorb the poison too. As these poisons build up, the animal becomes much more likely to contract mange, a common disease that harms local wildlife. Mange slowly kills the animal - directly as a result of rodenticides used by humans.​​​​

Most wild animals don't have a positive response to dogs - some, like opossums, will run away. But others, like coyotes, will try to protect themselves from a dog attack. Leashing your dog when in a green space will help protect both your dog and the wildlife.

In particular, coyotes will not respond well to the presence of dogs. They will 'escort' dogs out of the area if their den is nearby, by following them. Coyotes will also occasionally attack dogs if the dog is near the den.

Feeding wildlife, though it seems innocuous, actually harms wildlife. When wildlife associate humans with food, they become more comfortable around us. When this happens, aggressive behavior is more likely, leading to city officials having to euthanize the animal. Situations like this can be avoided by simply never feeding animals in the first pl