By Jorge Casuso

August 8, 2025 -- Reported encounters with coyotes have become more prevalent in Santa Monica, with the animals displaying more aggressive behavior, according to police.

Over a two-week stretch last month, coyotes have been reported "charging" cyclists and chasing pedestrians, with one trap set on a property repeatedly frequented by a young coyote.

The Police Department's weekly blog, the Blue Notebook, listed nine incidents and sightings involving individual, as well as multiple, coyotes for the period from July 13 to the end of the month.

On July 27, Animal Control received a report that on the 400 block of San Vicente Boulevard "coyotes were charging cyclists and showing no fear of people.

"A resident reported that neighbors are now escorting each other to stay safe," according to the blog.

Animal Control Officers (ACOs) were informed "that an individual was putting food out for the animals" and checked properties on the north side of San Vicente "where coyotes were reported to be staying in courtyards."

Officers later observed a coyote "lunge at a cyclist and saw three coyotes visiting a tree where pet food had been left."

On July 30, ACOs "identified a local resident setting food at the tree. The individual was informed that feeding wildlife is a crime, and a report would be submitted," police said.

"These incidents highlight the importance of not feeding wildlife, as it can lead to more aggressive behavior and an increased risk to the public," police officials said.

On July 19, some three blocks south of San Vicente, an anonymous caller reported an aggressive coyote at 4th Street and Alta Avenue.

The following night at 4th and Adelaide, about one block north of San Vicente, a resident reported that at around 9 p.m. "four coyotes chased her and her German Shepherd."

Not all of the coyote sightings took place near Pacific Palisades, where massive fires in January drove wildlife from the charred wooded community into Santa Monica.

In Ocean Park on July 22, police received a report at around 9 a.m. of a coyote on the 2400 block of Beverley Avenue near Joslyn Park.

The caller reported "a young coyote regularly jumping into a backyard to play with the dog on the property," according to the blog.

The reporting party provided video footage, and a trap was set on the 7th Street side of the property.