The crazy coyote craze

ON THE RUN. A coyote is seen on the run near Arnprior Todd Spurrell

Even though it happened nearly 50 years ago, I have vivid memories of a dead “brush wolf” on display in a teacher’s pickup at my elementary school. Later I learned that “brush wolves” were coyotes, “dangerous animals” on the increase.

Years later, letters to editors warned of the increase of dangerous fishers, large weasels reportedly released in our area by Natural Resources (a fabrication, incidentally). Petitions to have these “dangerous devils” eradicated were distributed.

Despite those warnings and no eradication programs, we have plenty of deer, squirrels, and other wildlife today. Even small children were left unscathed. So why this current fuss over coyotes?

This winter coyotes are being encountered in urban areas and pets have gone missing. But part of the hype is also due to hunting enthusiasts sensing an opportunity to kill large predators without restriction. I recently saw a poster adorned with animal pictures. One was a dog and another a coyote, and both were correctly captioned. There were also photos bearing a shared caption: “This is what coyotes eat.” Under this were a cute kitten, a friendly puppy, a helpless fawn, a sad sheep, a cuddly rabbit, and a wild turkey. And there was a statement that when you brought in a dead coyote you would receive a ticket for a shotgun draw and qualify for other prizes. For a moment I thought I was in the Wild West, looking at a Wanted Dead-or-Alive poster. In this case, “alive” was not desired.

So is a cull needed? Is it true that coyotes are “overpopulated?” Although only a population study would offer insights into the numbers of these animals, predators rarely “overpopulate.” Nature is cyclic. Populations rise and fall. Predators, being at the top of the food web, are susceptible to declines in their prey species and follow suit. When food becomes scarce, large carnivores face starvation and produce fewer young. If coyotes are more common this winter, there will be fewer next year but not because of a cull. Much of a coyote’s diet consists of small mammals such as mice and voles (items oddly missing from that informative poster). These are scarce this winter due to a shortage of seeds. A lack of food may be why Coyotes are more regularly encountered in urban areas; human garbage and small pets are not ignored by resourceful coyotes.

Coyotes also eat deer, an animal that we have had no shortage of, and one that has been much maligned due to its habit of leaping in front of cars and devouring gardens. Deer need natural controls and coyotes may be becoming just that.

Many unfounded reasons have been given for a need to kill coyotes. An unmentioned but likely valid one is that many people fear coyotes and predators in general. Killing coyotes might just make one feel more powerful and brave.

An article in the West Carleton Review introduced the idea of a coyote “contest” to which parents could bring their children, making the event a “family day.” This thought is appalling and repugnant. Passing fear and hatred to innocent children is more than frightening; it is morally indefensible.

The Nature Number is 613-387-2503; email is mruntz@start.ca