People and coyotes should coexist peacefully
Karen Tableriou
Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: Opinion
In a world so consumed by technology and entertainment, it's easy to overlook and completely forget the natural world. As you walk to class everyday, how many times do you pass the trees without even a second glance or drown out the songbirds with a portable MP3 player?
Stuck in our bubbles, we've lost touch with everything around us, so when the natural world suddenly encroaches in our happy little technology-laden lives, popping that invisible bubble of self-absorption, naturally we overreact.
Coyotes are a common sight in 49 of the 50 states; you may see one casually trot through your backyard, sitting on the side of the road or rummaging through trash the night before pick-up. Their presence isn't anything new. This past summer, Chicago started to see more and more coyotes hanging about. One even decided to cool off in a subway's cooler in downtown when the humidity became overwhelming. But, being who we are, coyotes are barely blips on our radar (being part of nature, they don't catch our attention like the new iPhone), until they attack. Bum bum bum (insert dramatic music here).
Far off in the west, in the city of Greenwood Village, Colo., there has been a rise in coyote attacks on small pets and one documented case of human attack. In response, a so-called "war" is on the horizon: coyotes versus man (and his guns). The village's city council passed an ordinance that allows for the fatal shooting of coyotes by a contractor, Animal Damage Control Wildlife Management Services. Their job is to decrease, in the most humane way, the surging coyote population in the area. The big question debated by all is whether this is overkill.
The Department of Natural Resources has had a policy for the past several years: any carnivorous animal involved in the predation of domesticated animals or attacks a human will be euthanized (mainly by shooting). It used to be that the animal would be relocated, but many people were up in arms, wanting a more permanent solution. They questioned whether the animal would keep on killing domestic animals after doing it once and teach killing to the rest. So wouldn't it be logical, then, for Greenwood Village to focus on only the coyotes that attacked people and pets? Some may argue that it's impossible to know which coyote out of thousands committed such acts, but aren't there expert trackers available to follow the coyote's trail?
Stuck in our bubbles, we've lost touch with everything around us, so when the natural world suddenly encroaches in our happy little technology-laden lives, popping that invisible bubble of self-absorption, naturally we overreact.
Coyotes are a common sight in 49 of the 50 states; you may see one casually trot through your backyard, sitting on the side of the road or rummaging through trash the night before pick-up. Their presence isn't anything new. This past summer, Chicago started to see more and more coyotes hanging about. One even decided to cool off in a subway's cooler in downtown when the humidity became overwhelming. But, being who we are, coyotes are barely blips on our radar (being part of nature, they don't catch our attention like the new iPhone), until they attack. Bum bum bum (insert dramatic music here).
Far off in the west, in the city of Greenwood Village, Colo., there has been a rise in coyote attacks on small pets and one documented case of human attack. In response, a so-called "war" is on the horizon: coyotes versus man (and his guns). The village's city council passed an ordinance that allows for the fatal shooting of coyotes by a contractor, Animal Damage Control Wildlife Management Services. Their job is to decrease, in the most humane way, the surging coyote population in the area. The big question debated by all is whether this is overkill.
The Department of Natural Resources has had a policy for the past several years: any carnivorous animal involved in the predation of domesticated animals or attacks a human will be euthanized (mainly by shooting). It used to be that the animal would be relocated, but many people were up in arms, wanting a more permanent solution. They questioned whether the animal would keep on killing domestic animals after doing it once and teach killing to the rest. So wouldn't it be logical, then, for Greenwood Village to focus on only the coyotes that attacked people and pets? Some may argue that it's impossible to know which coyote out of thousands committed such acts, but aren't there expert trackers available to follow the coyote's trail?
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
AJD
posted 2/08/09 @ 10:54 PM CST
My grandparents lived on a small farm in rural Northeast Missouri and had cows, pigs, and chickens. Coyotes would occasionally attack a calf or a piglet and more often, raid the chicken coop. (Continued…)
Ian
posted 2/09/09 @ 12:13 AM CST
As someone who has taken part in yote hunting in the past I have a different view. When I was living in CO I had a boss that was constantly paying me to kill his yotes as they were getting through his fence and attacking his horses and eating the feed he had out for his horses. (Continued…)
Jeff
posted 2/10/09 @ 2:31 PM CST
Greenwood Village will NOT have an "open season" on coyotes. Aggressive coyote behavior and habituation has been deemed so severe that dangerous and menacing coyotes have been considered an immediate threat to people. (Continued…)
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