After 45 reported attacks so far this year, the decision has been made that the Ministry of Forests staff will trap and euthanize up to 35 coyotes who have made Stanley Park, in Vancouver, their home.
By | Ayesha-Maria Di Tullio
Stanley Park – followed by numerous attacks, the Ministry of Forests has said it will take more action against the coyotes in the coming months.
Professional contractors will catch the animals between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. every day. The creatures would be “humanely euthanized” after being taken from the traps, according to the ministry.
According to some research, killing a large number of coyotes causes them to breed, even more, there is no convincing evidence that indiscriminate coyote killing achieves any good wildlife management goal.
Permanently reducing coyote populations is nearly impossible, coyote eradication has failed for more than a century. Coyote populations in unexploited areas self-regulate based on food and habitat availability, as well as a territorial defence by resident family groups. Only the dominant partner in a pack of coyotes often reproduces, and they actively discourage subordinate members of the pack from reproducing.
One night, around 4 weeks ago, a coyote approached my backyard, so quietly that one moment it wasn’t there and the next it was standing near the front door. My sister called me to look; the creature was a beauty, larger than usual, with a full russet-and-gray coat, quietly sizing up my sister, who looked adoringly at it in response.
“Don’t just stand there, run inside!”, I screamed, waving my arms at her.
Coyotes were more visible than usual this year, although they have always been a part of the landscape in my neighbourhood.
It’s not unusual to hear their noises late at night, which is terrifying. It was both a welcome reminder and a frightening reminder of how fortunate we were to live in a neighbourhood surrounded by wildlife/nature.
However, we haven’t seen any coyotes lately. That was taken care of by the city, and I am not happy about that.
Coyotes have kidnapped small pets, and at times appeared on the street when residents walked their dogs in a few neighbourhoods, as a result, residents would avoid going on walks outside after dark.
Rather than hunting down coyotes, we should avoid going to parks where there are coyote warnings or doing yoga, jogging, or taking a walk at 6 a.m. in areas where coyotes and bears live.
Most significantly, people should refrain from feeding wild animals for the sake of getting the perfect photographs for social media, or because they believe they have the right to do so.
Killing an animal that has played a vital role in nature for five million years is an act of adolescence. Coyotes, like other natural predators, represent no special or overwhelming threat to city dwellers who keep their dogs and cats inside at night.
So why do we continue to use them as scapegoats for our mistakes?