SANTA MONICA—On May 20, Santa Monica City officials warned the public of a larger coyote presence believed to be due to the Palisades fire destroying much of their habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Recent reports indicate there have been coyote sitings north of Montana Avenue and in the vicinity of Fourth Street and Lincoln Boulevard. A poster on a tree in Santa Monica reads;
“Coyote Attacks
3 Small Dogs Killed
4 Other Major Injuries
All While Being Walked On-Leash
Pack of 4 Coyotes—Roaming nightly between Georgina and Alta on 4th Street
Daytime Too
They’re lying in wait in the bushes—Jumping out as you walk by on the sidewalk
CAUTION”
Authorities attribute recent coyote sitings on the Palisades fire.

Photo Credit: Brittany Furlan on X
On May 22, news editor, Hannah Wiley posted the following on her X social media page:
“Was running through GGP this morning when a car kept honking at me. I turned and a coyote was trailing (an uncomfortably close) 15 feet behind me, clearly on the hunt for something in the bushes on the trail’s edge. Thought about this great hKnightsf piece:
On September 25, 2024, when Brittany Furlan, wife of Motley Crue rocker, Tommy Lee rescued her small dog, Neena from a close encounter with a coyote in the backyard by the family pool. Furlan posted surveillance footage along with the following message on Twitter and Instagram.
“Neena is safe. I climbed up the wall and grabbed her out of its mouth. Thank God she’s a little bit fat because he couldn’t make it over the wall with her. If it was teenie she would’ve been gone. This is in Broad daylight at 1:00 p.m. They are getting more brazen and hungrier. Please be safe. I’m not even letting the dogs out anymore. This is ridiculous. Hug your babies extra tight.”
On September 24, 2024, Justin Rivard was walking his three tiny dogs with a friend on San Francisco Beach when a coyote attacked one of the dogs right in front of them.
By Sharon