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Pepperdine

Advisory issued after several coyote sightings during the spring term

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Confirmed Threat

On March 24, 2023, Pepperdine University issued a Malibu Campus Coyote Awareness advisory following several coyote sightings during the spring 2023 term, providing detailed guidance on what to do when coyotes are encountered. Pepperdine's own biology faculty had recently published peer-reviewed research confirming that urban coyotes on and around the Malibu campus have become significantly less cautious around humans than their rural counterparts.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Pepperdine University
Private R2 · CA
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~7,600 studentsPepperdine Emergency Notifications
Official alert policy
Read when and how Pepperdine says it will use Everbridge Mass Notification: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatim1465 chars
Subject: Malibu Campus Coyote Awareness Following several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus during the spring 2023 term, Pepperdine would like to educate the University community regarding what to do when coyotes are seen on campus to ensure all are informed of, but not alarmed by, the wildlife with whom we share the Santa Monica Mountains. As a reminder, if you encounter a coyote: Respect the animal. Do not feed wildlife. Do not approach the animal; leave space for the animal to escape. Maintain eye contact and move away slowly. Do not run. Running could trigger the animal’s instinct to chase you. Appear as large, loud, and powerful as possible. Shine a bright light at the animal, especially at night. If there are small children or pets present, pick them up immediately. Additionally, do not leave them unattended outside. Throw rocks, sticks, or anything else you can find toward the animal if it approaches you. The University encourages you to remain aware of the environment and your surroundings when hiking, biking, or jogging alone especially from dusk until dawn when coyotes are most active. Public Safety security escorts are available on the Malibu campus 24/7 by calling Public Safety Dispatch at 310.506.4442. If you see a coyote on or near the Malibu campus, please report the incident to Public Safety at 310.506.4441. If safe to do so, please take a picture and/or video and send it to Public Safety via the LiveSafe app.
Verify this quote
Pepperdine Emergency Information official archive: 'Subject: Malibu Campus Coyote Awareness' advisory (March 24, 2023)emergency.pepperdine.edufind archived copies
Verbatim text of the March 24, 2023 advisory as published on Pepperdine's official Emergency Information site; its signature phrase 'informed of, but not alarmed by, the wildlife with whom we share the Santa Monica Mountains' is a standard formulation Pepperdine adopted after the February 2022 mountain lion dog kill and applies to subsequent wildlife notifications as a coexistence-over-alarm messaging approach.
The instruction 'Appear as large, loud, and powerful as possible' reflects hazing technique protocol for coyotes, distinct from mountain lion protocol (where noise and size also help) and black bear protocol, demonstrating that Pepperdine maintains species-specific response guidance for its resident wildlife.
Pepperdine biology professor Javier Monzon and student researcher Lucian Himes ('23) published research around this same time confirming that urban coyotes near the Malibu campus were less fearful of humans than rural coyotes, so the campus was simultaneously studying and communicating about the same animal.
2026-09-21 second deep audit b51 P4 a1-noledger-single-alert-public-case. Recapture official product at product boundary. Dual html.parser walk+regex. Cap-exempt R1.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude Opus 5.5 (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Subject: Malibu Campus Coyote Awareness Following several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus during the spring 2023 term, Pepperdine would like to educate the University community regarding what to do when coyotes are seen on campus to ensure all are informed of, but not alarmed by, the wildlife with whom we share the Santa Monica Mountains. As a reminder, if you encounter a coyote: Respect the animal. Do not feed wildlife. Do not approach the animal; leave space for the animal to escape. Maintain eye contact and move away slowly. Do not run. Running could trigger the animal’s instinct to chase you. Appear as large, loud, and powerful as possible. Shine a bright light at the animal, especially at night. If there are small children or pets present, pick them up immediately. Additionally, do not leave them unattended outside. Throw rocks, sticks, or anything else you can find toward the animal if it approaches you. The University encourages you to remain aware of the environment and your surroundings when hiking, biking, or jogging alone especially from dusk until dawn when coyotes are most active. Public Safety security escorts are available on the Malibu campus 24/7 by calling Public Safety Dispatch at 310.506.4442. If you see a coyote on or near the Malibu campus, please report the incident to Public Safety at 310.506.4441. If safe to do so, please take a picture and/or video and send it to Public Safety via the LiveSafe app.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: the message names "Pepperdine" and "The University" as sender and refers readers to Public Safety.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: The message has Pepperdine speaking for itself and refers to Public Safety for escorts and reporting.
    2. present: It names 'Pepperdine' and 'Public Safety' as the parties educating the community and taking reports.
    3. present: It says "Pepperdine would like to educate the University community" and names Public Safety, identifying the sender.
    4. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and names Public Safety as the contact.
    5. present: The notice says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community', naming the sender.
    6. present: It names 'Pepperdine' and 'The University' as sender and refers readers to Public Safety.
    7. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and references Public Safety, identifying the sender.
    8. present: It names Pepperdine and Public Safety Dispatch as the source of this coyote awareness notice.
    9. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and names Public Safety, identifying the sender.
    10. present: The message is from 'Pepperdine' and references Public Safety Dispatch, identifying the sender.
    11. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and directs reports to Public Safety.
    12. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and references Public Safety.
    13. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and cites Public Safety, identifying the sender.
    14. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and refers to Public Safety.
    15. present: It says "Pepperdine would like to educate" the community and refers to Public Safety dispatch as a contact.
    16. present: The message names 'Pepperdine' and 'Public Safety' as the sender educating the University community.
    17. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and names Public Safety, identifying the sender.
    18. present: It states 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and refers to Public Safety.
    19. present: The notice says Pepperdine would like to educate the community and refers to Public Safety, identifying the sender.
    20. present: The message says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community', naming the sender.
    21. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and references Public Safety, identifying the sender.
    22. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and names Public Safety as the contact.
    23. present: The message says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and cites Public Safety.
    24. present: The notice says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community', identifying the university as sender.
    25. present: It says 'Pepperdine would like to educate the University community' and references Public Safety.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it names a specific hazard, "several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus".

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It concerns "several coyote sightings" on campus, which names a specific wildlife hazard to the community.
    2. present: It reports 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    3. present: It concerns "several coyote sightings", naming wild coyotes as the specific hazard.
    4. present: It names 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    5. present: It names 'several coyote sightings' on campus, identifying wild coyotes as the specific hazard.
    6. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings' on campus, which is a specific wildlife hazard.
    7. present: It addresses 'several coyote sightings', naming coyotes as the specific wildlife hazard.
    8. present: It names repeated coyote sightings on the Malibu campus as the wildlife hazard the community should know about.
    9. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    10. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    11. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', naming a specific wildlife hazard.
    12. present: It names 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    13. present: It names 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard rather than a vague concern.
    14. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    15. present: It names "coyote sightings" on campus as the wildlife hazard the message is warning people about.
    16. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    17. present: It names 'several coyote sightings' on campus, a specific wildlife hazard rather than a vague situation.
    18. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    19. present: It names coyote sightings on the Malibu campus, which is a specific wildlife hazard to people and pets.
    20. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings' on campus, naming a specific wildlife hazard rather than a generic situation.
    21. present: It names 'several coyote sightings' on campus, a specific wildlife hazard.
    22. present: It names 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    23. present: It names 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
    24. present: It addresses 'several coyote sightings' on campus, naming coyotes as the specific wildlife hazard recipients should know about.
    25. present: It concerns 'several coyote sightings on the Malibu campus', a specific wildlife hazard.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it places the sightings "on the Malibu campus" in the Santa Monica Mountains.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It locates the sightings "on the Malibu campus" in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    2. present: It refers to 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains.
    3. present: It refers to the "Malibu campus" and the Santa Monica Mountains as the location.
    4. present: It locates the sightings on 'the Malibu campus' in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    5. present: It refers to 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains as where coyotes have been seen.
    6. present: It specifies 'the Malibu campus' within the Santa Monica Mountains as where coyotes are seen.
    7. present: It refers to coyotes 'on the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains.
    8. present: It refers to the Malibu campus and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains as the place where coyotes are being seen.
    9. present: It locates the sightings 'on the Malibu campus' in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    10. present: It names 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains as the location.
    11. present: It locates the sightings 'on the Malibu campus' and in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    12. present: It locates the sightings 'on the Malibu campus' in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    13. present: The sightings are 'on the Malibu campus', in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    14. present: It names 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains as the location.
    15. present: It specifies "the Malibu campus" and the Santa Monica Mountains as where the coyotes are seen.
    16. present: It names 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains as where coyotes have been seen.
    17. present: It locates the coyote sightings 'on the Malibu campus', a named place within Pepperdine.
    18. present: It names 'the Malibu campus' and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains.
    19. present: It refers to coyotes seen on the Malibu campus in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    20. present: It refers to 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains.
    21. present: It refers to 'the Malibu campus' and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains.
    22. present: It locates the sightings on 'the Malibu campus' in the Santa Monica Mountains.
    23. present: It identifies 'the Malibu campus' as the place where the coyotes have repeatedly been seen this term.
    24. present: It refers to 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains as the location.
    25. present: It names 'the Malibu campus' and the Santa Monica Mountains as the affected location.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it gives explicit actions such as "Do not approach the animal", "Do not run", and "move away slowly".

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It gives steps like "Do not approach the animal", "Do not run", and pick up small children or pets.
    2. present: It lists actions such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'move away slowly'.
    3. present: It lists actions such as "Do not approach the animal", "Do not run", and "move away slowly", direct protective guidance.
    4. present: It gives clear actions such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Maintain eye contact and move away slowly'.
    5. present: It instructs 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Do not run', among other steps.
    6. present: It instructs 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and to pick up small children or pets immediately.
    7. present: It instructs readers to 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and pick up small children or pets.
    8. present: It lists actions like 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and 'move away slowly'.
    9. present: It instructs readers 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Do not run', clear protective actions.
    10. present: It lists actions such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Do not run', clear protective guidance.
    11. present: It gives actions such as 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and 'move away slowly'.
    12. present: It instructs 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and 'move away slowly', protective actions.
    13. present: It lists actions such as 'Do not approach the animal', 'move away slowly' and 'Do not run'.
    14. present: It lists actions such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Maintain eye contact and move away slowly'.
    15. present: It lists actions such as "Do not approach the animal" and "Do not run".
    16. present: It gives many instructions, such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Do not run', which are protective actions.
    17. present: It lists actions such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Do not run', clear protective instructions.
    18. present: It lists actions such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Maintain eye contact and move away slowly'.
    19. present: It says not to approach the animal, move away slowly, do not run, and pick up small children or pets.
    20. present: It instructs 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Do not run', clear protective actions.
    21. present: It lists actions such as 'Do not approach the animal', 'move away slowly', and 'Do not run'.
    22. present: It instructs 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and 'move away slowly', clear protective actions.
    23. present: It gives concrete actions such as 'Do not approach the animal' and 'Do not run'.
    24. present: It instructs 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and to pick up small children or pets.
    25. present: It instructs readers to 'Do not approach the animal', 'Do not run', and 'move away slowly'.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it refers to sightings "during the spring 2023 term" and warns coyotes are most active "from dusk until dawn".

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It refers to sightings "during the spring 2023 term" and notes coyotes are most active "from dusk until dawn".
    2. present: It refers to 'the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are most active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    3. present: It references "the spring 2023 term" and notes coyotes are most active "from dusk until dawn".
    4. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and warns of 'dusk until dawn' activity.
    5. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and to 'dusk until dawn'.
    6. present: It references sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    7. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are most active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    8. present: It references sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes dusk until dawn as peak activity.
    9. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    10. present: It references sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are most active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    11. present: It references sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are most active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    12. present: It references sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    13. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    14. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes risk 'from dusk until dawn'.
    15. present: It refers to sightings "during the spring 2023 term", a time frame for the hazard.
    16. present: It places the sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are most active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    17. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and to coyotes being most active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    18. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    19. present: It references sightings during the spring 2023 term and notes coyotes are most active from dusk until dawn.
    20. present: It references sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and risk 'from dusk until dawn'.
    21. present: It ties the sightings to 'the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are most active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    22. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    23. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes risk 'from dusk until dawn'.
    24. present: It ties the sightings to 'the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
    25. present: It refers to sightings 'during the spring 2023 term' and notes coyotes are active 'from dusk until dawn'.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it states a consequence, "Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you", and warns to pick up small children and pets.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It warns that "Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you", stating a potential consequence.
    2. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a consequence.
    3. present: It warns that "Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you", stating a possible consequence.
    4. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a consequence of the hazard.
    5. present: It explains 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', a stated consequence.
    6. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a consequence of the hazard.
    7. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a potential consequence.
    8. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', a stated potential consequence.
    9. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', a stated potential consequence.
    10. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', an explicit potential consequence.
    11. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating what the hazard could do.
    12. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a possible consequence.
    13. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', a stated consequence.
    14. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating what the coyote could do.
    15. present: It warns "Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you", a stated consequence.
    16. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', a stated potential consequence.
    17. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a potential consequence.
    18. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a potential consequence.
    19. present: It warns that running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you, stating a potential consequence.
    20. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a consequence.
    21. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', which states a potential consequence.
    22. present: It warns that running 'could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a potential consequence.
    23. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a consequence.
    24. present: It warns 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', stating a potential consequence.
    25. present: It warns that 'Running could trigger the animal's instinct to chase you', a stated consequence.

Coded by Claude Opus 5.5

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Pepperdine University's Malibu campus shares the Santa Monica Mountains with a well-established coyote population. Coyotes in the area are documented to be less fearful of humans than rural coyotes, as confirmed by research from Pepperdine's own biology department published circa 2022-2023. This creates a distinctive situation in campus wildlife management: the university's academic research directly informs the behavioral risks described in its own emergency advisories. The March 24, 2023 advisory followed a series of spring sightings and used the same non-alarmist framing Pepperdine had adopted after the February 2022 mountain lion dog kill. Unlike mountain lion advisories, this coyote advisory did not restrict any campus operations or order shelter; it was purely educational. The advisory is distinguished from a typical timely warning by its subject line format ('Subject: Malibu Campus Coyote Awareness') and its explicit educational tone, reflecting Pepperdine's classification of wildlife sightings as advisory-level events rather than Clery-reportable incidents. The Santa Monica Mountains support one of the most studied urban coyote populations in the United States, and the Pepperdine campus sits at the intersection of active ecological research and practical campus safety management.
Outcome
No injuries. Advisory issued for community awareness. No capture or removal. Report sightings to Public Safety at 310-506-4441.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
    Subject: Malibu Campus Coyote Awareness - Pepperdine Emergency Information
    emergency.pepperdine.edu
    archived copy
  2. Official
    Biology professor Javier Monzon investigates how urbanization shapes coyote behavior - Pepperdine Seaver College
    seaver.pepperdine.edu
    archived copy
  3. Official
    Campus Wildlife - Pepperdine Emergency Information
    emergency.pepperdine.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Pepperdine University: Advisory issued after several coyote sightings during the spring term." Incident of March 24, 2023. Added May 2026; last updated September 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/pepperdine-university-coyote-awareness-2023-03-24/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
wildlifecoyoteadvisorycaliforniapepperdinemalibusanta-monica-mountainsurban-wildlifeeducational-advisory
Added May 2026Updated September 2026Via ingestion