Shooting ‘Em Dead

I am writing in regard to “For Streetwise Coyotes, Another Lesson to Learn,” which was the lead article in “San Diego at Large” on Feb. 11.

I am incensed not only about the content of the article, but also about its placement in a department that primarily features light-hearted, even humorous, news.

I found nothing at all humorous about the piece, which seems to be nothing more than free publicity for one Fletcher Diehl and his National Predator Callers Assn. The group’s name is in itself a misnomer, as Diehl is not some innocent, charming wild animals like a shepherd calling his flock--no, he’ll “lure them toward your house with a noise that attracts coyotes . . . then he’ll shoot ‘em.” (The reporter’s use of backwoods colloquialisms did little to raise my regard for any professionalism he may once have possessed.)

Diehl states that he can’t count how many coyotes he has shot over the years, and yet he throws out unsubstantiated opinions about the San Diego County coyote population--which is obviously dwindling, thanks to his efforts.

There seems to me to be something seriously backward about expecting that the growth of San Diego County should be “sending coyotes into the hills for cover.” Something about as backward as the attitude our ancestors took toward Americans Indians, who were expected to retreat docilely to the reservations we so patronizingly saved for them. Why on earth should the coyotes be expected to clear out simply because unprecedented population growth in this county is eliminating their habitat?

Secondly, I take exception to the implication that coyotes are all savage predators, heinous fairy tale wolves devouring small children and pet Chihuahuas. I live in a suburban tract home that borders on a wild canyon, and I have seen a coyote at dawn, trotting nonchalantly across the field just beyond our 4-foot chain-link fence. This sight inspired me more with respect for this animal that survives despite our cars and fences than it did fear for my two pet cats, which I trust have the intelligence to stay in the yard where they belong.

Third, the ploy of “luring” a coyote toward your house in order to shoot it raises two points. How sportsmanlike is such behavior for a group of grown men? And, if the coyotes are so removed from suburbia that they must be “lured” in order to come within shooting range, the argument that they pose an immediate danger is pretty implausible.

Finally, as Meryl Faulkner of Project Wildlife was quoted as saying, “You can’t get rid of a species just because it’s an inconvenience to you.” True, nor can you solve all your “problems,” as the article so affectionately terms coyotes, by shooting them dead. I found it interesting that Diehl’s organization charges $300 to trap coyotes, but “shoots ‘em” for free. Why is this? I suspect it has less to do with the difficulty involved in trapping and more to do with the “fun” the men derive from “nailing” as many coyotes as they can.

LAURA RADER

Oceanside