Editor:
Coyotes are unfairly getting a bad reputationthroughout the Sunshine Coast.
Across Canada, coyotes are living in urban and semi-urban communities. Yes, they will eat small dogs and cats. Coyotes, like other wild animals, are motivated by hunger. They will kill our pets not out of malice or spite, but simply because they are following their wild instincts. They're hungry. Regarding coyote attacks on humans, they are extremely rare. Statistically speaking, you are much more likely to be injured by a garden hose.
Coyotes are quite shy and non-aggressive. They tend to scare easily and are often solitary animals, preferring to travel alone. They are small in size and an adult, on average, weighs between 18 to 30 pounds.
Panic and hysteria surrounding coyotes is fuelled by misinformation. Killing coyotes solves nothing. While killing coyotes may bring some temporary physiological relief to someone who lost their pet to a coyote, in the long-term, more coyotes will simply return to the area. As long as there is a food source (garbage, fallen fruit, outdoor pets and pet food), you will have coyotes in your area.
Ifthe Sunshine Coastwants to crack down on coyotes, it first needs to crack down onlocal citizenswho areintentionally or non-intentionally feeding these animals. Education, not killing, is key.
Municipalities including Vancouver have a city-wide coyote program to help manage people's perceptions of coyotes. We even have a coyote hotline to reportsightings, and the data is collected to caution specific neighbourhoods during times of high coyote activity so people can take proper precautions.
We must guard against taking extremes. Locking up our pets and children or killing all the coyotes isn't the answer. We can find a balance and the answer is co-existence.
Lesley Fox, executive director, Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals
