![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/roof-coyote-1-1024x485.jpg\")
courtesy of MPCSD<\/p>\n courtesy of MPCSD<\/p>\n
A creative solution from up north for how to stop crows and geese from leaving droppings all over a school playground has left several residents in a dreadful fright.<\/p>\n
The story comes from the city of Menlo Park in California, where a pair of \u201ccoyotes\u201d are scarring these birds and the neighbors too. Local news outlet InMenlo<\/a> reached out to a school district spokesman, who explained what all the fuss was about.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are coyote statues at Encinal and Laurel Lower Campus,\u201d said spokesperson Parke Treadway.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were an idea that came from Encinal Principal Sharon Burns\u2019 father, who lives in Canada. She was talking to him about Encinal\u2019s population of Canadian geese on the field and the droppings they leave behind. He mentioned that in Canada they use fake coyotes in parks to deter geese (and relieve the goose poo issue).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrincipal Burns thought it might work for crows, too, and it does! The coyotes have been a brilliant solution as other crow deterrents haven\u2019t worked and [the school\u2019s] custodial teams were constantly washing crow droppings off the lunch tables and surrounding ground. Now with the coyote statues our play areas are cleaner and water use is down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLaurel School was facing a similar dilemma with its geese, so they also purchased two coyote statues which have been named Oak and Sequoia. The fact that the coyote statues deter both geese and crows is wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n