COYOTES
I try to foster the belief that we are all part of nature and that nature demands that we live in harmony with all species. I believe that all species have a place, that it's our job, as the dominant species, to preserve other species. I believe that we should expect wild animals to appear when we move into their habitat and that our ability to overpower other species doesn't give us the right to use that ability. My beliefs lead me to resist calls to hunt or destroy or relocate a species. If we fear bears or mountain lions, normally we can avoid their habitat. We may be annoyed when deer eat plants from our gardens or when raccoons tip over our garbage cans, we may wish there were no spiders in our houses, we may build fences to reroute animals or keep them away from us, but we don't launch a campaign to eradicate them.
However, coyotes test all my beliefs. While I enjoy watching birds and fish and have a mild interest in insects, while I've long loved dogs and, several years ago, became interested in and admiring of wolves, I've never loved coyotes. In my mind, coyotes retain the Native American image of trickster. Coyotes aren't as appealing visually to me as dogs or wolves. They somehow look furtive and dangerous when I encounter them. They've never bothered me and, in fact, they've never shown the slightest interest in me but I'm nervous when I see them. I still assume that if I don't bother them they won't bother me, but I don't turn my back on them.
Lately, I've been reading stories about coyotes which upset me, stories of small children in peril, of house pets devoured. My idea of living in harmony retains a certain bias in favor of humans and I wonder if we should do something about coyotes.
Then I read further and find that people are feeding them, encouraging them to stay close to humans in the expectation of an easy meal. I'm even more confused because I attach blame to the feeders but I can't attach blame to the children and pets. So what should I conclude, what should I recommend, what should we do?
I return to my basic beliefs: We can live in harmony with the coyote but we must behave sensibly. Value nature, enjoy it, learn to appreciate the coyote. But leave nature to itself: Don't feed the coyotes (or other wild animals, for that matter), don't endanger them or yourselves by expecting them to behave as house pets, don't attract them to do harm to our children and our pets.. Maybe then I won't be nervous around coyotes and can learn to value them as I do other species.
3-12-01
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