I was watching Channel 4 News out of Denver this evening, and they reported on an interesting and disturbing phenomenon. It seems that coyotes have been populating a 'burb (Greenwood Village) and attacking both adults, one small child, and many household pets.
ek hornbeck reported on this earlier in his Overnight News Digest, and I'd like to focus on one aspect of that AP article, as well as something else. First of all, Greenwood Village has hired a sharpshooter to take said coyotes out. I watched on the news earlier that animal rights activists are fightin' mad. Of course, they do not believe that killing the animals is appropriate. (Thanks to MB for the source, linked below.)
Since December, four people in the Denver area have been nipped or bitten by coyotes. A fifth told police a coyote lunged at him.
State wildlife officers have killed seven coyotes. An eighth was killed by a sharpshooter hired by Greenwood Village, in Denver's southern suburbs.
"These are coyotes that were born and raised in the 'hood," said Liza Hunholz, an area manager with the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Uhm. I don't know what exactly to say about this, because that's horrible to me on all levels. But what's even more disturbing is how I feel about: not that bad, really. The animal rights groups are rightly upset, but if relocating the coyotes doesn't work, then I don't see much of a choice here. I'm kind of ashamed because I think this is the normal and standard Republican viewpoint. Am I crazy here?
If relocating the coyotes DOES work, though, then I'd rather not have the little buggers shot. That would be cool.
Also important, from a different article, from another TV station, about the urban coyote prob:
The New York Times reported last week that an entire village near Denver, Colo., hired a sharpshooter to remove problem coyotes.
"(A sharpshooter) may be a step some homeowners might want to consider," Hirchert
Officials said that part of the problem with urban coyotes is that generally someone is feeding the animals. Wildlife officials said residents should not feed coyotes.
Got that, Kossacks? Don't feed the coyotes!
Just curious to know how you guys feel about this. Am I crazy to condone it?
-----
P.S. Found some excellent advice from an article in February 2009 of the (sniff sniff) Rocky Mountain News. You should read the whole article if you live in the area - also has some suggestions about what to do if you encounter a coyote and what to do to make your pet safe, as well as other interesting facts. Check it:
TIPS FOR THE HOME
- Never feed coyotes.
- Remove pet food, water sources, bird feeders and fallen fruit from your yard.
- Keep trash secure with a locking lid.
- Trim vegetation to reduce hiding places.
- Enclose compost piles.
- Deter coyotes with a six-foot privacy fence.
-----
P.P.S. Courtesy of Meteor Blades, here is the original NY Times article on the Glenwood Village sharpshooter. Gah. Taken from this article:
Nicole Rosmarino, the wildlife program director with the environmental group WildEarth Guardians, said that accounts of attacks had been exaggerated and that most of the injured pets had been off their leash or unattended.
"We think Greenwood Village is operating in an utterly irrational manner," Ms. Rosmarino said. "It is not going to help their citizens. Clearly, they have panicked."
Ms. Rosmarino and dozens of volunteers have fanned out across Greenwood Village to protect coyotes from Mr. Stewart’s gun by trying to instill a fear of humans through shouting and other techniques.