Isolated coyote incident

December 10, 2014 · 0 Comments

Dear editor:
In reference to Rafal Kubats letter Re: Action demanded against coyotes.
After reading Rafals story about a coyote who simply walked up to him and yanked a little dog away from his grip while on its leash, is very odd to say the least. I can’t help wondering why those little light weight Yorkis weren’t lifted off the ground by their adult male owner. My guess as a wildlife rehabilitator is, the coyote would have retreated at that point. Perhaps this particular coyote has become accustomed to being in close proximity to humans, especially due to their shrinking habitat due to human overpopulation. This could have been the result of an intentional or unintentional feeding by a nearby neighbor which changes their proximity tolerance. A case such as this is quite atypical to their natural behavior. I have walked the forested trails around my house in coyote country for 27 years with my small dog off leash and never had any problems. There is plenty of evidence that they live here but they have never come close to us or our dogs, let alone an attack. Need we remind people that these wild animals were here first.
The nocturnal, shy coyote is incredibly beneficial to the natural ecosystem. They are a vital keystone predator keeping rodents and small mammals in check. They are known as “natures clean up crew”.
Coyotes mate for life and are devoted parents to their offspring. As omnivores, their home range is anywhere from 3–50 square miles. Human fear, misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about coyote behavior and habitat have lead to 50–70% of young coyotes being killed by humans before they reach adulthood. This isolated incident does not justify declaring war on coyotes when there are many preventative, non-lethal measures to be implemented.
To help minimize human-wildlife encounters, here are a few basic tips:
• Never feed wildlife, keep pets in-doors at night, keep pet food in-doors, keep trash secured, keep farm animals in covered enclosures constructed with heavy mesh wire, teach children to safely admire wildlife from afar,
• Always provide an escape route and never corner them. Never run, instead back away slowly or make yourself large and shout.
• Hazing are techniques proven to be successful as a deterrent to restore the coyotes natural avoidance to humans. Some include: noisemakers ex. voice, air horn, pot and pan, cans full of pebbles, projectiles (around not at the coyote) ex. balls, sticks, popping umbrellas, spraying with a hose (in warm months) or water gun.
Wildlife is not a ‘nuisance’ but rather a precious gift that we need to better understand so we may live in harmony together.
Sylvia Penny