Research indicates that coyotes enjoy the benefits of urban areas enough to put up with all the people, and Seattle is no exception. Food is abundant and predators are few.

Over the past century, coyotes have colonized every major metropolitan area in North America. Chicago is home to an estimated 4,000 coyotes, and in Los Angeles, urban coyote density is at least seven times higher than in wild areas. Coyotes are often spotted in parks and neighborhoods throughout Seattle, but the lack of formal data makes it difficult for researchers to track trends.