If the coyotes breed, then attacks on humans will begin as the coyotes will instinctively defend their cubs from humans who get too close to the den, even unwittingly. It would be better to remove the coyotes before this happens.
Or a couple of decades of lost human lives until enough voters realize that the underlying ideology (that celebrates Coyotes next to playgrounds) absolutely values human life lower than what should be acceptable.
This being a positive thing in the sense of managing the rodent population feels like in the simpsons when they introduce snakes to eat lizards and then gorillas to take care of the snake overpopulation.
> Coyotes can also help manage the city’s rodent problem and keep other wildlife populations, like Canada geese and raccoons, in check.
Not just wildlife. A pack tracked my wily cat for months. I saw a couple of close calls. They learned that the cat liked to leave the house for a stroll a little before dawn. One morning they waited for him and took him right outside the cat door. It was pretty amazing that he lived nine years as thick as coyotes are around here. I can't bear to keep a cat locked in the house, so haven't had the nerve to get another since then.
I previously lost a cat to a pack of raccoons. But my cats collectively are way ahead of the game in terms of animal biomass harvested.
Thanks for posting this, such a nice story and writeup!
Where I live in Vancouver the coyotes have been very noticeable this year. I love to hang out with them in the park and garden, and hear them howl with the cop cars at night. They are not pets though - I always keep my distance and keep aware of the possibility that they might sneak up on me.
I take care of an outdoor cat in the neighborhood, and yes it's possible that a coyote will eat a cat or small dog. I worry about her but there are many fences, she is smart as well as a good climber. There are many hazards in the city that don't have the positive sides that coyotes do, and I think it's important that we learn to live with them and honour what they bring to our lives. That includes rat control, which we rather need here.
Sorry- but do you honestly belief that coyotes will hunt rats? In a city? They will eat fastfood leftovers from the garbage cans with the rats. Creatures hunt out of desperation- hunting is energy-expensive, dangerous and often not successful unless it targets the small, old or parasite riddled. That coyote will get diabetes before it gets to even start hunting rats.
You... hang out with coyotes in the park? I live near a park with coyotes and all of us are wary of them. The people who walk their dogs frequently carry sticks. As a parent of a 1 yr old and 4 yr old who likes to let them have some degree of age appropriate freedom running around in the park, I can't help but think of the coyotes. Maybe I'm wrong, but they seem like they might be dangerous around people, particularly children.
Maybe it's HN's demographics speaking, but everyone here is talking about their pets, but what about children? Do coyotes not attack kids?
Given all the news about elevated levels of human Coyote interactions over the last 10 ~ 15 years, I wonder whether we are witnessing the beginnings of another domestication/speciation event -- new "dogs".
That we should be overprotective of dangerous animals--in this case celebrating that they are living in the middle of a very dense city--is a luxury belief. It makes dumb rich people feel good and the costs are borne by others. For another example see the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado.
It is hilarious to me to be reading about city folk being amazed at a few coyotes and an owl. In Nebraska coyotes are vermin and you shoot them on sight if they are on your farm for all the trouble and danger they can cause. We used to go out on the property and call them for target practice.
edit: lol at the downvotes, welcome to the real world?
Exactly. As a European I‘m accustomed to this sentiment by the urban academic caste. Our‘s is celebrating that ruralites are exposed to literal wolves again. Peak elitism on display.
As if there was some kumbaya coexistence in the past that represents nature. You know, you strolling down 5th Ave, sipping on your Starbucks, and the Coyote across the street, giving each other the nod.
The only actual Coexistence being you keeping a healthy distance from them.
Honestly, as a curiosum and token wildlife insert I get it. Bit like zoo animals.
But I'm not sure coyotes and mega cities are a good mariage. I see people mentioning rat controll, but imagine the size of the coyote population you would need to make even a small dent in that.
Coyotes seem remarkably adaptable to urban environments. The coyotes I’ve seen in Chicago are something else. I’ve seen them trotting down the sidewalk of four-lane roads in broad daylight (they were quite fat too). Even had one run right past me as I was waking down the sidewalk, I thought it was a dog at first.
One of the best Chicago coyote incidents was one around Lincoln Park (I think it was) that walked into a Quizno’s or something on a hot summer day and hopped into the drink cooler.
In North America, Coyotes have almost completely replaced the ecological niche that feral dogs fill in most of the rest of the world's urban environments.
A bunch of them live on my property. They have a roll call at night and it’s an eerie screamhowl I’m still not used to after 5 years. We don’t usually see them in daytime.
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[ 1.7 ms ] story [ 40.5 ms ] threadNot just wildlife. A pack tracked my wily cat for months. I saw a couple of close calls. They learned that the cat liked to leave the house for a stroll a little before dawn. One morning they waited for him and took him right outside the cat door. It was pretty amazing that he lived nine years as thick as coyotes are around here. I can't bear to keep a cat locked in the house, so haven't had the nerve to get another since then.
I previously lost a cat to a pack of raccoons. But my cats collectively are way ahead of the game in terms of animal biomass harvested.
Where I live in Vancouver the coyotes have been very noticeable this year. I love to hang out with them in the park and garden, and hear them howl with the cop cars at night. They are not pets though - I always keep my distance and keep aware of the possibility that they might sneak up on me.
I take care of an outdoor cat in the neighborhood, and yes it's possible that a coyote will eat a cat or small dog. I worry about her but there are many fences, she is smart as well as a good climber. There are many hazards in the city that don't have the positive sides that coyotes do, and I think it's important that we learn to live with them and honour what they bring to our lives. That includes rat control, which we rather need here.
Maybe it's HN's demographics speaking, but everyone here is talking about their pets, but what about children? Do coyotes not attack kids?
I just wish this does not turn adversarial.
https://youtu.be/UW5Or7bIVJk
I was going to link to The Prince of Central Park [Rhodes, 1975]
But Wikipedia is too flaky to remember the 1975 novel, only the 2000 movie
edit: lol at the downvotes, welcome to the real world?
As if there was some kumbaya coexistence in the past that represents nature. You know, you strolling down 5th Ave, sipping on your Starbucks, and the Coyote across the street, giving each other the nod.
The only actual Coexistence being you keeping a healthy distance from them.
They are amazed at a few coyotes and an own in the city, which is newsworthy.
> edit: lol at the downvotes, welcome to the real world?
Your comprehension is shocking. Again, the downvotes are because of your wild misinterpretation of what people are amazed at. What are you doing.
Honestly, as a curiosum and token wildlife insert I get it. Bit like zoo animals.
But I'm not sure coyotes and mega cities are a good mariage. I see people mentioning rat controll, but imagine the size of the coyote population you would need to make even a small dent in that.
One of the best Chicago coyote incidents was one around Lincoln Park (I think it was) that walked into a Quizno’s or something on a hot summer day and hopped into the drink cooler.
Edit: here’s a picture of it https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/tv8y26/today_is_th...