Rancho Mirage community’s coyote removal plans scrapped after residents voice concerns

Residents surrounding the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage have expressed concerns over a plans of a coyote removal in the area.

After the club heard those concerns, will not move forward with the remediation.

In a weekly newsletter sent to members and residents, the club said it will "remedy the recent influx of coyotes on the course and throughout the community." The club said it's a way to keep members, residents and their pets safe.

However, this announcement only brought concerns to some residents.

“They were planning to trap and kill coyotes," said country club resident Randi Feilich.

Since the relocation of coyotes is prohibited in California, residents say there are more humane ways of treating this issue.

There are ways to protect your pets and that’s something we want to do with the community is educate them so they’re keeping their animals safe," said the Founder of Palm Springs Wildlife Advocates Bettina Rosemarino, “So there’s a peaceful coexistence and we don't just result to these killing programs."

Many of them say coyotes haven’t caused many problems in their neighborhood.

“They’re indigenous to our community, they’re a vital part of our ecosystem and they all playa role in our ecosystem,” Feilich added.

And that snare traps, which are a common way to remove coyotes, could actually do more harm than good. “Any one of our pets or a loose dog or feral cat can fall victim to the snare trap and have a very painful and slow death,” Feilich explained.

After days of speaking out about this removal, the Mission Hills Country Club released this statement:

"As a member of the Mission Hills community, we were asked to explore solutions to address the growing concerns regarding the coyote population in the neighborhood. Upon receiving the request, we reached out to the Warden for Game and Wildlife for more information. After speaking with them and understanding our options, we are not moving forward with remediation.”

Members and residents are still planning to hold a protest Saturday morning to engage the community and stress the importance of avoiding inhumane coyote removal when possible.