Co-Existing With Coyotes

Villa Park is not alone in wondering what to do about a coyote population in conflict with its neighbors (Sept. 5, 25).

As a member of the Animal Rescue Foundation of Dana Point, I hear almost daily of pets missing that must be presumed eaten. Coyotes are one of nature’s most adaptable animals. They have learned to live among us.

I have personally seen coyotes look both ways before crossing a busy street. They drink out of swimming pools. They teach their children to hunt cats and small dogs. Although you don’t want to believe it, they are smarter than your cat. As with any other wild animal, their numbers increase more in years of plenty and decrease during drought years. The problem is that Southern California neighborhoods are centered around canyons and greenbelts. We want to be close to nature, at least until it becomes inconvenient. Then we call the exterminator.

Unfortunately, the benefits of having coyotes as neighbors are hidden--until they are gone and we become overrun with rodents, rabbits and opossums. There are plenty of examples of what happens when you eliminate part of nature’s check and balance system.

Why not make an attempt to trap and sterilize and release a percentage of the coyote population? Surely that would be better than hopeless attempts to relocate all the coyotes, or the inhumane and ecologically unsound “wipe ‘em all out” method that causes as many problems as it solves. And meanwhile, keep your pets indoors from dusk to dawn.

MELANIE SCHWEITZER

Dana Point