Reported and wrote audio script for KQED

Coyotes in San Francisco feast on human food, especially in Telegraph Hill, Bernal Heights and other neighborhoods with lots of concrete. They eat more natural prey, like gophers, in greener areas like the Presidio.

That was the finding of a new study analyzing 700 coyote scat samples from across the city. Scientists determined chicken is the most popular human food for city coyotes.

The lead study author, UC Davis PhD candidate Tali Caspi, spent over two years collecting coyote poop: “Even I was taken aback by the sheer amount of human food consumed in the diet.”

Coyotes, which returned to San Francisco two decades ago, get a bad rap for harming pets. But a tiny percentage of samples detected cats in coyote diets.

Researchers say locking up food waste left outside and educating residents not to intentionally feed coyotes will be key to avoiding conflicts.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images/San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers