Tweet
For those outside North America a coyote is also known as the "prairie wolf" and is a close relative of the larger grey wolf.
In these parts they can weigh up to 60 lbs and, unfortunately, are losing their fear of people and are breeding like crazy. This is leading to a problem because they're moving into cities and attacking pets & people all over N. America. A few months ago several were seen in downtown Detroit, one on the grounds of the Renaissance Center.
20 years ago we quit paying bounties on coyotes, though they remained on the varmint hunting list. This plus no natural predation plus lots of game has resulted in the population explosion. Maybe time for it to come back
Last night I chased 3 out of our back yard.
Link....
Coyotes stalking our streets
Fears grow as more pop up in neighborhoods
Once a rural nuisance, coyotes increasingly are opting for city life in Michigan, roaming railroad tracks in Dearborn, devouring pets in Grosse Pointe Farms and sounding alarms among Lansing lawmakers.
Mirroring a nationwide trend, the collie-sized omnivores have learned that food and shelter are plentiful in the suburbs, sparking fears that coyotes are losing fear of their No. 1 threat: people.
"Even though we say in Michigan that we don't know of anyone who's ever been attacked by a coyote, it's only a matter of time," said Tim Payne, the state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biology supervisor in southeastern Michigan.
State officials, who don't track coyote populations, disagree on just how significant a threat the animals pose. But a rash of incidents in the past few months -- including a coyote caught skulking near the Renaissance Center in Detroit -- has lawmakers considering changing hunting rules to thin their ranks.
They'd have no objections from Fred and Doreen Gregory, who spent $800 in saving the life of their miniature poodle, Rudy, who was attacked in March in the couple's two-acre Westland [<1 mile from us] backyard. The attacks followed the killing of a poodle and cat in January in Grosse Pointe Farms.
Fred Gregory said he's counted seven coyotes communicating at night with the high-pitched yelps and howls made famous by cowboy movies. The retired builder echoed the assessment of professionals who fear the threat is getting worse.
"Their numbers are exploding and people around here probably think they are just loose dogs," he said. "This is only the beginning of the problem. They are multiplying like rats, but these are a lot bigger and meaner."
>
In New Jersey, a coyote bit a nearly 2-year-old boy in his backyard in April.
Fears grow as more pop up in neighborhoods
Once a rural nuisance, coyotes increasingly are opting for city life in Michigan, roaming railroad tracks in Dearborn, devouring pets in Grosse Pointe Farms and sounding alarms among Lansing lawmakers.
Mirroring a nationwide trend, the collie-sized omnivores have learned that food and shelter are plentiful in the suburbs, sparking fears that coyotes are losing fear of their No. 1 threat: people.
"Even though we say in Michigan that we don't know of anyone who's ever been attacked by a coyote, it's only a matter of time," said Tim Payne, the state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biology supervisor in southeastern Michigan.
State officials, who don't track coyote populations, disagree on just how significant a threat the animals pose. But a rash of incidents in the past few months -- including a coyote caught skulking near the Renaissance Center in Detroit -- has lawmakers considering changing hunting rules to thin their ranks.
They'd have no objections from Fred and Doreen Gregory, who spent $800 in saving the life of their miniature poodle, Rudy, who was attacked in March in the couple's two-acre Westland [<1 mile from us] backyard. The attacks followed the killing of a poodle and cat in January in Grosse Pointe Farms.
Fred Gregory said he's counted seven coyotes communicating at night with the high-pitched yelps and howls made famous by cowboy movies. The retired builder echoed the assessment of professionals who fear the threat is getting worse.
"Their numbers are exploding and people around here probably think they are just loose dogs," he said. "This is only the beginning of the problem. They are multiplying like rats, but these are a lot bigger and meaner."
>
In New Jersey, a coyote bit a nearly 2-year-old boy in his backyard in April.
Comment