Who’s the problem: coyotes or humans?
Coyotes bring in packed house
St. Helens city council chambers were so crowded June 18th that people sat on the floor and were standing in the hall, eager to hear about Columbia County’s local neighbor, the coyote.
“As pet owners we have to abide by all pet laws, but apparently we are once again living in the dark ages of Europe, with wild dogs running around everywhere,” said a frustrated man in the crowd.
The real problem is fear, said local a local tracker and wilderness survival expert Kellan Scáth.
“People live in ignorant fear of what they do not understand,” said Scáth. “Coyote is our brother. He is more connected to Mother Earth than we are. Re-education is the first step to getting the public aware about the lack of threat that coyotes really present.”
An informal PowerPoint presentation talked about coyotes and their behavior patterns, why they come into cities and why they act the way they do toward both humans and animals.
Wildlife Services’ motto is: “Protecting people, protecting agriculture, protecting wildlife.” Is it really the people that need protecting in this case? Or the wildlife?
The Audubon Society, a wildlife activist group, states on its Web site that in Oregon the only documented “attack" on a human was a provoked situation in which a man was bitten while attempting to beat a cornered coyote to death with a 2-by-4.
The Web site continues that incidents that have occurred nationwide most often fall into the category of nips, bites and scratches rather than predatory attacks and almost always follow situations in which the coyote has been deliberately fed by humans and conditioned not to be afraid. In such cases, the coyote was only following habits that it was taught.
“Attacks upon humans by coyotes do not occur very often, but when they do, they are scandalized and dramatized by the media, making the problem seem worse than it really is,” said Kevin Christensen of Wildlife Services. “But also one area can be more likely than another for an attack to occur. It all depends upon specific coyote behavior within that area.”
People asked about pets. This is an unfortunate part of living with coyotes, depending upon behavior patterns; they may pose a risk to residential pets.
“My advice to you,” replied Christensen, “is to keep your pets inside when you can, and when taking them outside, keep them close. The reason coyotes go after pets, is because they feel threatened or all other food sources have been taken away.”
When all else fails, err on the side of caution, if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe carry with you a deterrent like a walking stick or a rock, loud noises like whistles and air horns can also scare away coyotes.
The hope is that the problem won’t get to the point where Wildlife Services or any other wildlife group has to step in and use lethal action. Taking steps toward preventing temptation for coyotes can help resolve the issue.
Some tips you can use, if visiting coyotes aren’t your thing:
1. Keep pets inside and when they are outside keep them close.
2. Bird feeders are a big attractor for coyotes because they attract birds and other small animals. It is advisable not to put out bird feeders near to the ground, or even at all.
3. Instead of putting rotten things in the garbage outside, stick them in a bag and put them in the freezer until the night before garbage pick up. Firstly to reduce the rotten smell, especially in the summer, and second because if you do that coyotes won’t be attracted by the smell of what they think is food.
4. A more extreme measure would be to put up a fence, at least 6 feet in height, making sure to watch for holes that have been dug underneath.
Whose responsibility is it to take care of wildlife? It is everyone’s responsibility, according to the PowerPoint presentation; everyone is directly tied to wildlife, their habits and their behaviors.