It’s never easy losing a beloved pet, as in the case of Thousand Oaks residents who claim to have lost three cats to coyotes. A Fish and Game official says the culprit is more likely a bobcat, yet residents blame coyotes and want them removed or killed.

The coyote is our most intelligent wild animal and the most persecuted. While we should be cautious around wildlife and protect our cats and small dogs from predators, the danger from coyotes to humans, livestock and pets is constantly exaggerated.

The result—at the behest of wealthy livestock producers— hundreds of thousands of coyotes are slaughtered annually by the USDA’s Wildlife Services Division, state agencies and through bounties for hunters. The USDA spends $100 million of our tax dollars annually to kill coyotes and other predators.

Coyotes are important to the ecosystem, eating rodents and cleaning up the carrion. They mate for life. Both the male and female care for their young. Prospective coyote parents create various hiding places for their puppies; in other words, they plan for the future. The coyote howl is often the parents calling their young after more than a year to reconnect with them. When a mate is killed, coyotes have been observed in mourning, their howls silent.

These highly intelligent animals avoid humans, unless habituated by our sloppy habits of leaving pet food, trash and even small pets outside at night. Residents should clap their hands, use a whistle or open an umbrella to scare a coyote away.

Please don’t kill coyotes.
Becky Pomponio
Sarasota, Fla.