Sac State warns of coyote danger

A photo of a coyote was sent out in a SacSend email sent Friday. Coyote sightings have increased around campus since last semester.

Courtesy of Office of the Vice President for Administration.

A photo of a coyote was sent out in a SacSend email sent Friday. Coyote sightings have increased around campus since last semester.

Robbie Pierce

Sacramento State has seen a recent uptick in coyote visits to campus, but the Office of the Vice President for Administration is warning students about the dangers of interacting with the furry visitors.

In a SacSend message sent Friday, members of the Sac State community were instructed not to approach, chase, run from, give food to or take silly selfies with the coyotes.

The message told students and staff “not leave any food scraps or other food related trash anywhere on campus grounds” and to “place all food related trash into provided receptacles” to prevent drawing coyotes onto the campus.

The Sac State Police Department does not respond to coyote sightings, but encounters with the animals can be reported to the Sac State Safety hotline at 916-278-2020 or 8-2020 from a campus phone.

The message also says that campus police can be contacted at 916-278-6000 or 8-6000 from a campus phone in the “very rare” situation that any people or service animals on campus are injured by a coyote attack.

If a coyote approaches you, making eye contact and loud noises while waving your arms should make it retreat. If you have a small pet or child with you, pick them up and calmly walk away toward a more populated area.

The City of Sacramento offers an online guide with more information on how to handle coyote sightings, available here.