State wildlife authorities continue to collect dead coyotes from the Pantano Wash on Tucson’s east side, where 32 of the animals have been deliberately poisoned over the past two weeks.
Arizona Game and Fish Department Ranger Tarah Clark said four more coyote carcasses were retrieved from the area on Wednesday, after they were found and reported by nearby residents.
All of the animals found dead since Jan. 22 have been located within the same 2-mile radius between Houghton Road and Old Spanish Trail, north and east of the Civano neighborhood.
In addition to the 32 coyotes, at least three javelinas, a raven and three pet dogs have died as a result of what authorities believe was an intentional — and illegal — effort to kill wildlife with bait laced with rat poison or some other powerful toxin. A fourth pet dog was treated for poison and survived.
State wildlife officials reported Thursday that at least 32 coyotes have been killed by poison in a 2-mile radius along Pantano Wash between Houghton Road and Old Spanish Trail.
The Game and Fish Department initially reported finding 14 dead coyotes along the Pantano Wash last week. Clark said the 18 additional coyote carcasses recovered since then did not appear to be fresh, which leads her to believe that all of the dead animals discovered so far were “associated with the initial incident.”
“We don’t believe there is any new poison being put out, though we can’t 100 percent confirm that,” Clark said.
She added that she wouldn’t be surprised if there are more dead animals in the area that have not yet been found.
People along that stretch of the wash should continue to use caution and report any carcasses they find and that could still be toxic, Clark said. Pet owners are advised to keep their dogs on a leash and keep them from eating anything they might find on the ground.
Anyone who finds dead animals or wildlife acting abnormally is encouraged to call the department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-352-0700.
Watch a coyote pup play with a garden hose in a Tucson yard.
Clark said that if the goal of putting out the poison was to get rid of all the coyotes in the area, it was a cruel and foolish waste of time. Other coyotes will simply move in to occupy the territory, and any surviving females will be triggered by the deaths of their packmates to go into heat and try to reproduce, she said.
Authorities are still waiting for test results to tell them what kind of toxin was used, but Game and Fish wildlife veterinarian Anne Justice-Allen previously said she suspected strychnine or another fast-acting poison.
It is illegal to bait wildlife and use rat poison to kill anything besides rodents. No suspects have been identified, Clark said, but “we have good leads.”
Whoever is responsible for the animal deaths faces multiple misdemeanor charges from the state. Part of any penalty could include what Clark called a “civil assessment” based on the estimated value of each of the wild animals killed, as determined by Game and Fish officials.
By law, all wildlife in the state belongs to the people of Arizona, she said. “It’s yours, mine, everybody’s.”
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