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Tucson Residents Reported Varying Success With Nonlethal Deterrents for Coyotes, Bobcats and Collared Peccaries

Coyote moving through dry grass in southern Arizona
Conservation · Human–wildlife conflict

A questionnaire of 360 residents in Tucson, Arizona, USA, found that reported success with nonlethal deterrents varied among coyote (Canis latrans), bobcat (Lynx rufus) and collared peccary (Pecari tajacu). Most respondents viewed all three species positively, and fewer than a quarter of people who had seen each species on their property tried to deter it.

Coyotes had been seen on 79% of respondents’ properties, collared peccaries on 72% and bobcats on 23%. Among people who had encountered each species, 17% tried to deter coyotes, 21% collared peccaries and 11% bobcats.

Residents reported different results from physical barriers

Physical barriers were the most commonly reported deterrent for coyotes and collared peccaries. Of 25 respondents who installed barriers against coyotes, 64% had not seen a coyote on the property again by the time of the survey. Among 29 respondents using barriers against collared peccaries, 52% reported no later sighting.

The bobcat sample was much smaller. Five residents reported using physical barriers, and four later saw a bobcat on the property again. The authors note that bobcats are skilled climbers, but the small sample does not allow a firm estimate of how effective barriers are for the species.

Immediate departure did not always mean lasting deterrence

Yelling at coyotes showed the difference between an immediate response and preventing later visits. Ten respondents reported yelling; eight said the coyote left immediately, but only two had not seen a coyote again by the time of the questionnaire. Other deterrent methods were reported by still fewer residents, limiting comparisons among techniques.

Flow chart of reported coyote deterrence attempts and outcomes among Tucson residents
Reported coyote deterrence attempts and outcomes among Tucson respondents. Figure 4 from Burnett et al. (2026), Urban Ecosystems, CC BY 4.0.

Reasons for deterrence differed among species

Concern for pets was the most common reason for deterring coyotes and was reported by 65% of people who tried. All nine residents who attempted to deter bobcats cited concern for pets. For collared peccaries, damage to landscaping or property was the most common concern, reported by 53% of those who attempted deterrence.

The study found no relationship between the proportion of reported deterrence attempts and the local measures of impervious surface or distance to riparian corridors used in the analysis. Most questionnaire responses came from central Tucson.

The authors conclude that urban wildlife deterrence should be tailored to the ecology of the species involved rather than treated as a single strategy that works equally well for all wildlife. Because relatively few respondents used individual deterrent techniques, the survey provides reported outcomes rather than firm rankings of which methods are most effective.

Sources and image credit

  1. Burnett, A. D., Mars, M. M., Bogan, M. T., & Koprowski, J. L. (2026). Use of a public questionnaire to evaluate human-wildlife conflict and the efficacy of nonlethal wildlife deterrents: Lessons from a desert city. Urban Ecosystems, 29, Article 53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-026-01921-9Primary peer-reviewed open-access article published and version of record 7 February 2026 under CC BY 4.0. Analysed 360 Tucson questionnaires concerning coyotes, bobcats and collared peccaries; low numbers of deterrence attempts prevented rigorous comparisons among individual techniques.

Image: Henry Weinberg / Wikimedia Commons / Flickr — coyote (Canis latrans) in southern Arizona, photographed 14 September 2023. Illustrative photograph from the Tucson region, not an animal from the questionnaire study. · CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ · Source

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