30 July 04

Predators Too Close

Davis is in an uproar. A number of cats-about 20 or sohave gone missing from North Davis; two or three have been found dead and mutilated. Coyotes have been seen in the area for over a year and they were blamed for the deaths. Two adults were euthanized two days ago; their pups were caughtprobably todayand although the local paper said they’d be “relocated,” the Animal Services director said they had no intention of doing anything other than putting them down (which is probably the humane thing to do in the circumstances-they’re orphans and probably under severe stress at this point).

When we push our urban and suburban bounds into the territories of wild animals, these kinds of encounters are inevitable. Coyotes are naturally wary of humans, but find that our golf courses and overwatered lawns provide an abundance of rabbits and rodents on which to prey, plus all the food humans put out (as garbage, as food to feral cats, as food to coyotes), and they are gradually losing their fear.

The outraged pet owners demand coyote deaths. It’s easy enough to keep cats indoors, though—it’s much better for the ecosystem and much safer for the cats. As long as there’s a constant supply of food, these kinds of stories will continue to hit the news.

Posted by at 07:02 PM in Nature and Place | Link |
  1. I’m trying very hard not to get indignant here at those who would kill the coyotes… So the cats were mutilated. Stupid cats. The coyotes have as much right to live as the cats do, and the fish and meat that the cats eat have as much right to live as the cats do. Killing the coyotes for doing what they do naturally (as much as cats naturally go around killing birds and mice… but no one kills the CATS for doing that!) just shows how little these pet owners truly love animals. Or understand them.

    — butuki    31. July 2004, 21:04    Link
  2. It’s not the cats so much as the way humans react when something unknown comes out of the deep dark world and effects our lives. The problem with coyotes is that if people complain, even if their complaints are merely “talking out our fear” and they wouldn’t want the coyotes killed, wildlife officials are forced to act on it. If people complain that cats are being killed, or coyotes are in the back yard, or sniffed a toddler, or rip the garbage open every night, or stare at people and won’t leave, wildlife officials are put in the either/or position of having to say “Leave them alone, they won’t hurt you” or “they could hurt you, so we have to scare them away or remove them.” Scaring coyotes away after they’ve learned a skill (cat hunting) isn’t an option. They are too smart. And wildlife officials probably don’t feel certain they can say “these coyotes won’t hurt you.”

    There are serious ethical issues involved in removing a natural predator like a cat to protect a non native predator like a coyote. But I’m sure the issue with wildlife officials is not protecting the cats. It’s the fact that the coyotes have learned a behavior that could risk humans.

    So it’s not cat versus coyote. It’s human versus coyote. The cat is just stuck in the middle.

    — Catlin Walker    4. August 2004, 06:31    Link
  3. Whoa! Flip those “predators” in my earlier comment. Yes, the coyote is the native predator. The CAT is the nonnative. There is an ethical dilemma in removing natives to protect nonnatives simply because we value one over the other. Sorry, my fingers typed before my brain engaged. That’s why they have “Preview,” right?

    — Catlin Walker    4. August 2004, 10:08    Link
  4. I loved these articles. I love all animals but recently (after our san diego fires 2 years ago] coyotes are coming to my window. I have 3 indoor cats which I am sure they smell. I do not know what to do. I have to keep my apartment windows closed at all times. Yes humans are ruining us with taking down their habitat. I live in a city not the boonies. I t scares me when they growl at my windows trying to get in. What do I do to protect me, my cats and the coyotea?
    — Ronda    18. July 2005, 11:41    Link
  5. Hi I know I’m from England and obviously do not have the same problem as yourselves, but whatever animal you wish to deter you have to get the scent of their predator i.e rat you get the scent of a bob cat. In the wildlife parks here, where say an ostrich lays it eggs in the wrong place the park keepers get lion dung and put it in that area and the ostrich’s will not go there again. It is a proven theory, the only problem is I don not know what a coyote’s predator – if you can find this out and manage to get the scent from somewhere you place it around your perimeter and I swear they will not come anywhere near you or your cats. I hope you find something, but I will also try to find any more info to help. I have 3 cats myself and would do anything to protect them too. Good luck. Kellie x
    — Kellie MacKenzie    5. August 2005, 12:14    Link

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