Where are the Coyotes? Look at the Floodplain Map.
Decatur Metro | December 6, 2011
Last night, the Decatur City Commission heard from another round of residents upset about the recent deaths of cats in Drexel/East Parkwood neighborhood. In a detailed Powerpoint presentation, Christy Bosarge detailed the death of her cat to a coyote 5 weeks ago. She emphasized that she knew that the city could not eradicate coyotes, but that they needed to “put the fear” back into the coyote population so that they weren’t so casually interacting with the human population and their pets.
Ms. Bosarge even invited a coyote trapper, Chip Elliot, to the meeting, who was very complementary of coyotes’ intelligence and upfront about the fact that you can’t eliminate them from an area. (A coyote’s territory is 5 square miles in an urban area, according to Elliot.) The executive director for A.W.A.R.E, Tarah Hadley, also spoke out at the meeting, in opposition to trapping and killing coyotes in Decatur.
The contrast in viewpoints between Mr. Elliot and Ms. Hadley demonstrated the complexity of the issue of coyotes in urban environments. While they both agreed that coyotes could not be removed from an area by trapping them, they disagreed that a coyote could be made more cautious of the human population through trapping.
However, Mr. Elliot admitted that the best case scenario is to trap yearly and hope that it instills caution in the coyote population. But even this method won’t even guarantee that the population will decline.
The City Commission came away from the discussion with talk about getting the word out to residents about Decatur’s coyote population, but as the City Manager reemphasized in response to a resident’s question: the process of choice of most metro Atlanta communities is “cohabitation”.
So that’s that for the time being. But let me quickly discuss the most interesting thing I heard at last night’s meeting. In reflection on the comments from Mr. Elliot, at the end of the commission meeting Ms. Merriss noted that the calls to city hall with coyote sightings come in regularly like clockwork as the coyotes move around their territory, following the fresh water sources. A sighting near Drexel will be followed a couple days later on Glenlake and then a couple days later in Winnona Park.
Also, at one point Mr. Elliot was discussing how coyotes choose their and noted that they go after whatever will burn the fewest calories. Amongst the trash and other small animals, “cats who don’t run away”, were another option.
Which basically boils down to: if you live near a floodplain and have outdoor cats who aren’t especially skittish around dogs and other people, you should be the most wary about the coyotes.
Seems to me that a greater human presence in these natural corridors would redefine the sense of exactly who’s the dominant species. And you know what that means: Breaking ground on DM’s Creek Walk at earliest opportunity!
This makes a lot of sense about the human presence as a deterrent.
I haven’t heard of any sightings in that greenspace south of Agnes Scott, where there is a paved section of the PATH. (Between Davis and Green/McDonough and Candler). It would seem that area would be ideal for coyotes. (That said, I thought I saw what looked like a den dug into the bank of one branch of the creek a while back – near the bridge leading up to Davis.)
Does the foot and bike traffic in that section keep them away? Anyone seen coyotes in that area?
I have it on good authority that the “coyote den” in the creek is the work of 11-year-old humans.
In the early evening, about two years ago I saw two coyotes running across E. Davis from the Agnes Scott retention pond, south into the woods towards the trail.
We’ve also seen them on Mead Rd, even at the corner of Mead and College early in the morning.
On Sunday morning at 5:30 AM I saw 3 coyotes in the middle of the street on W. Benson St.
Thanks for the info jkga, Mr. W and Jim!
Everything is tied back to the Peavine creek walk! Safe Routes advocates, coyote haters, connected-street lovers, downtown business owners unite!!
I’ve only heard of these incidents involving people who have been keeping their pets in violation of city ordinances. If you would keep your pets indoors, fenced in, or on a leash when you are out with them this wouldn’t be an issue. It’s sad that people have lost their pets but it could have been prevented. If they are allowed to roam freely, they are no longer domesticated and get their place on the wildlife food chain, which isn’t very high, especially for cats. Get rid of the easy meals and the coyotes will move elsewhere.
In general I agree with you, Gator. We’ve had coyote sightings in our current neighborhood and our old one in North Druid HIlls. We’d gotten cautions about the coyotes from neighbors in both places and we keep our cat indoors exclusively.
However, in this specific case, didn’t the coyote take the cat off Ms. Borsage’s porch in front of her? That does seem to be a coyote that has become dangerously comfortable with human contact.
All of the reading I’ve done on urban coyotes indicates that neighborhoods need to do what they can to maintain the animals’ fear and avoidance of humans – yelling in a menacing way when you see them, etc. If this coyote and others aren’t scared of people, then I agree that some other options need to be pursued. (I *don’t* mean hunting and killing them. I think that should be a last resort.) From what I’ve read, if coyotes lose their fear of humans, they’ll come in yards after pets who are appropriately confined and even target children.
Wanted to add that we kept our cats indoors before that, but that coyote presence in these areas is not a new thing.
The info about the floodplain and water supply is interesting though.
Oh no! Not another indoor cat/ do you love your cat debate. I’m just getting over the last 95 comment thread about whether I truly love my cat. Somebody start posting about coyotes over there, so it doesn’t infiltrate this thread. It’s like the portal to hell over there.
“Portal to Hell” – LOL!
Could that be worked into a Decatur Festival theme? Maybe the sand pit at the Beach Festival?
At the least it could loop back to the “cooler of beer at children’s parties” thread.
Be thankful we don’t live on a bayou. My partner grew up in Louisiana & said that people often lost their cats & small dogs to alligators.
maybe we could import some gators to prey on the coyotes? ;-}
I seriously just LOL’d at this…ah, the mental images of gators & coyotes running amok amongst us!
Then we could bring in some bull sharks to deal with the alligators when they got out of hand.
Then we can get burmese pythons to eat the alligators.
According to the map above, the Post Office on Ponce is mere feet from a floodplain (and depending on the definition, possibly within the flood plain).
With coyotes obtaining all of their hunting supplies (bird seed, anvils, catapults, etc) via mail order, it seems the best way to humanely combat the coyote menace is to move the Post Office away from the floodplain. Without access to the post office, the coyotes will likely migrate to Avondale or Scottdale.
Meep Meep!
City might also hire some roadrunners to keep the coyotes occupied with pursuit of other potential meals (although that might not as humane – to the coyotes).
+1
I’m even more concerned by the prospect of Acme products flooding the market once Family Dollar arrives. I can see it now– all of those unwashed, sub-bourgeoisie coyotes invading our lovely gentrified village, buying Newports and grape drank and arming themselves to the teeth.
Decatur lacks the extremely high cliffs and ravines needed to control the coyote population when they chase our roadrunners
DM: Map is interesting by itself, but perhaps someone with the City could add “pushpins” for where coyote sightings have been reported.
It’s also occurred to me that the coyotes – as well as other wildlife – may benefit from the City’s efforts to preserve and acquire green space as much as we residents will.
It seems to me that there should be a concern of rabies in a wild animal population.
Coyotes have moved into our area. We need to move them out if people don’t want to kill them.
According to the AWARE rep at the meeting last night, of all the rabies reports in Georgia last year only 1 was carried by a coyote, while a majority was carried by cats and dogs.
And if you capture a coyote in GA, you are required to kill it.
“if you capture a coyote in GA, you are required to kill it.”
Seriously? Then I’m not for attempting to “trap” coyotes. Why even use the word? Call it like it is.
-Mr. Elliot admitted that the best case scenario is to *kill yearly
If people can coexist with iffy temperament animals like bears and polar bears without the need to kill them all on a yearly basis, can we really not coexist with something like coyotes?
There are very few places, and none with a sizable population, where polar bears and people coexist. And the polar bears are routinely removed and relocated becuase of the danger posed to people.
“…the polar bears are routinely removed and relocated becuase of the danger posed to people.”
Could you by any chance share a source for that information?
Regarding animals….if they won’t snuggle with you in bed at night, we should kill them. And like the famous bubble boy, we should also consider living in small plastic bubbles protecting us from the scary natural world.
I think this would be a good case for Ms. Bosarge to consider purchasing a firearm. Sure its crappy that the coyote got her cat, but just think if one of them could get to a child.
I speculate that there are many more instances of dogs or cats attacking children than coyotes. If coyotes were attacking children in urban areas, we would have heard about it, I think.
Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics
I did not go to the meeting last night, but in case anyone from the Commission is reading this, I do not want my tax dollars to go toward coyote eradication. Based on everything I have seen on that topic, that would fall squarely in the “pissing in the wind” category.
In case anyone on the city commission is reading this, I do want my tax dollars being spent on coyote eradication.
Smith, you need to read the entire articles on the subject and not just the parts that support your argument. Noone is disputing the fact that coyotes will come back. But, first, it takes time and that means there will be an extended period of time without coyotes or, at a minimum, fewer coyotes. Secondly, when you cull the herd, the survivors become more wary of humans and tend to avoid places where they are likely to encounter humans (i.e. our yards). Coyotes which are not afraid of humans are dangerous. There are benefits to periodic removal of coyotes.
If you want to engage in a cost/benefit analysis, I will happily engage. I don’t have all the answers and may even learn something. But, it isn’t “pissing in the wind”.
Please, this is ridiculous. Coyote attacks on humans are extremely rare but there are millions of recorded domesticated dog attacks on humans, probably hundreds in metro Atlanta per year. We would be much safer by calling for the extermination of domesticated dogs, not wild ones.
An important point!
It really isn’t. Once we become aware that domesicated animals pose a threat, we put them down. We know coyotes pose a threat, so based on ball’s logic, we should put them all down.
Pose a threat to who?! Cats! Give me a break
Do coyotes by any chance eat kudzu? Rats? Palmetto bugs? Anything besides pets and roadrunners? I’m trying to look for an upside to Wile E. Coyote. Meep, meep!
I believe coyotes do eat rodents.
“One of the keys to the coyote’s success is its diet. A true scavenger, the coyote will eat just about anything. Identified as a killer of sheep, poultry and deer, the coyote will also eat snakes and foxes, doughnuts and sandwiches, rodents and rabbits, fruits and vegetables, birds, frogs, grass and grasshoppers, pet cats and cat food, pet dogs and dog food, carrion, and just plain garbage.” — forgot to grab the URL, it was a USDA website
frequency of items identified in coyote scat: Small rodents 42%, white-tailed deer 22%, bird species 13%, raccoon 8%, grass 6%, invertebrates 4%, human-associated 2%, muskrat 1%, domestic cat 1%, unknown 1%. (1,429 scats collected 2000-2002 in Cook County, IL) — http://www.urbancoyoteresearch.com
This article
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-bekoff/coyotes-fascinating-anima_b_573882.html
by an evolutionary biologist has information about coyote behavior, including attacks on humans for last 46 years (142 in US and Canada). It was linked to a (horrible) Radiolab story, Dogs Gone Wild, about a small pet dog being taken by coyotes. The comment stream on the Radiolab story is another “portal to hell” btw, with blame heaped on the owners for leaving the dog outside in an area with a known coyote population.
This is a good Rorshach test on our attitudes toward the natural world.
Are we part of it or aloof from it? If we’re aloof from it, then do we destroy it or fence it off?
This issue is going to grow in importance over time. We have been devolving this planet rapidly over the last century — it’s the greatest mass extinction event since the dinosaurs — and if you thought the fight over climate change science was nasty you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
In reading the Patch article about the coyote debate at the commission meeting last night I was struck by this quote…..“If we don’t put the fear back into the coyotes they will dominate us,” …and I had this sudden vision of something like “Planet of the Coyotes” with coyotes sitting atop horses holding rifles while overseeing us chained together working in a community garden.
LOL in protracted fashion.
Let’s attach tracking devices on the coyotes and overlay the data on a Google Earth map. Then we can watch the coyotes move through town like we do with the MARTA buses.
You mean slowly?
Your “free roaming” pets have a better chance being hit by a car than getting attacked by a coyote. I cannot believe people who are so worried about their “pets” are so for killing animals – no matter what kind they are! People who feed their pets outside are keeping these coyotes fed and in the neighborhood – it’s like “Jaws’, take away the food supply and they will move on. People out west don’t “attack” they ADAPT.
There is a family on Melrose that let their gazillion cats roam free and freaks out when we ask her to “keep them out of our yard” and threatens to call the police on us. The cats raid our trash, garage, have crazy cat fights all night, and lay all of over our belongings, not to mention all the “spraying” and feces they leave around.
I’m an ANIMAL person…all animals. Learn to adapt, not destroy.
I’m with the coyotes. coyotes are just another danger to cats outdoors, like cars and dogs. and just a reminder, outdoor cats are none too kind to the birds around our neighborhood. i have two cats myself and they stay inside. personally, i’m just excited to know that we can have any wild animal living within the confines of decatur. (other than people, of course)
What Shannon @ 2:02 & Tom @ 3:27 said…
I have heard of a product called dog mace that is one solution to break up a dog attack. Would dog mace work on coyotes? If you are out for a walk with your small leashed animal, or on your porch as Ms. Borsage was, would dog mace be a viable defense against an attack? Does anyone know much about it or what the problems are with its use?
In the interest of clarity, since at least two people have mentioned the circumstances of the attack on Ms. Borsage’s cat, can we get cnofirmation about that? I remember reading some time back that the cat was in the yard near the porch, and the owner was inside the house and saw the attack through the window (and immediately gave chase). As I recall, it was Ms. Borsage’s own account (read on the n’hood msg board? or pasted somewhere else from there?) but I could be completely misremembering. In terms of how bold the coyote would have to be, there’s a substantial difference between snatching a kitty from the yard and actually coming up onto the porch, and I’d be very interested to know what really happened.
Do coyotes howl? I was hoping for a good coyote howling by the full moon ….
Cats and dogs are mortal enemies. Haven’t you guys seen the movie?
Seriously, a dog attacking and killing a cat is displaying fairly normal dog behavior. I’ve yet to hear anything that convinces me a coyote poses a threat to me or my family here in Decatur. At this point, i’d just love to see one.
I’ll bet if you spent a little quiet time in our floodplain areas in the wee hours, you’d see one. First time I saw one around here was 6-7 years ago, in the middle of the night. I love knowing they’re here, just like I love seeing hawks (which in my experience were rare 10 years ago but seems like I see one at least once a week nowadays); listening to the calls of owls and wild turkeys; and generally knowing I’m not alone in the perpetual battle to keep from being overrun by wharf rats, roof rats, squirrels, possums, shrews, etc. (In my book, the only really good rodent is the kind that flies and eats mosquitoes.)
We love our green spaces and the critters are part of the package.
What if coyotes are a gateway species? Will wolves, wildcats, and polar bears not follow if coyotes are allowed to flourish?
Answer to At Home: Deer will take care of the kudzu, coyotes everything else. They actually play with palmetto bugs, something they have in common with cats.
Laughing at myself…first thought was how great it would be to have a few deer around. Then remembered what a scourge they are in my friends’ suburban New Jersey neighborhood. They had to spend megabucks on a deer fence (double fence of a certain height with certain distance between the two courses–deer can jump high or far, but can’t jump both high and far at the same time), which also involved tolerating the inconvenience of gating their driveway. Before that, the deer used to come right up on the deck and eat her geraniums (and anything else the slightest bit green) right down to the dirt. A neighbor of theirs and her child’s friend died when their car struck one on a neighborhood street (in broad daylight). They all live in terror of a deer running in front of a school bus. Another neighbor found an arrow in the side of her house one day, evidence that someone had gotten fed up enough to defy the local hunting ban by going out with a bow. So on second thought, I’ll take coyotes any day.
Was a note attached?
toml.. Naughty!
Let me say up font that I am a resident of the Parkwood neighborhood. I was not able to attend the meeting last night but we are very familiar with the issue. Regardless of whether you are a fan of the “coexisting” methodology of dealing with coyotes or trapping, we keep ignoring the fundamental problem and that is, if there is any issue that deals with a coyote threatening an outdoor pet or a human being, there is no organization that will take responsibility for dealing with the situation. “Coexisting” or “cohabitating” are just words that could easily be replaced with “we have no real position on the issue, live with it.” For those of you that feel that outdoor pets are the issue, it is your right to have this view and express it. The only response I have is that it is also within a property owner’s rights to own a pet that lives outdoors, as long as they are treated fairly and are not breaking noise ordinances. Since the City of Decatur and Dakalb County don’t like it when you try to protect your property with a shotgun or .45, it seems like there should be a service that you can call to aid with tracking, trapping or yes even eradicating a coyote.
Coexistence does mean, essentially,, “live with it,” and it constitutes a “real position on the issue.” I’m very sorry for the person whose cat was killed. But as others have noted, coyotes are only one of many dangers faced by cats that spend time outdoors. The quality-of-life versus safety balance is one that each pet owner is entitled to make on their own. But trying to turn Decatur into a domestic cat preserve is inappropriate and also futile, unless we’re going to solve the problem of dogs, owls, cars, poisonous snakes, possums, etc. Meanwhile, there are things we can each do that collectively keep us (and the animals, both domestic and wild) safer. Maybe that’s where we should focus our attention.
Perhaps the City does need to create a mechanism for managing complaints about coyotes. As long as the policies and procedures were guided by science and common sense, then IMO it would not necessarily be a waste of money. For instance:
(1) Make it illegal to feed domestic pets outside, or to store animal feed of any kind outside. Attach fines to these rules.
(2) Enforce the leash law for both dogs and cats; force anybody who is keeping chickens or other animals to have varmint-proof enclosures (which most or all do, I’m sure).
(3) Educate everybody about the mounting evidence that coyotes become bolder and more prone to intrude when they have become habituated to humans; and they become habituated to humans through associating human presence with easy meals.
(4) Respond to a coyote complaint first of all by inspecting all nearby properties to determine whether above ordinances are being broken. Impose fines and deliver stern lectures as appropriate
(5) Consider trapping (and the mandatory killing per state law) only if an individual animal can be reliably identified as having become a nuisance animal, i.e., dangerous to humans.
“… Analyses of coyote diet have been beneficial for revealing links between wildlife feeding and human–coyote conflicts. For example, in the Chicago metropolitan area, an area with a large population of coyotes but no incidents of coyote attacks to date, human-related food was found in less than 2% of coyote scats analyzed (Morey, Gese, & Gehrt, 2007). In contrast, a study in southern California, an area with the highest concentration of coyote attack incidents in the United States, found that human-related food constituted as much as 25% of coyote diets in areas with high human population densities (Fedriani, Fuller, & Sauvajot, 2001). A study of human–coyote conflicts in U.S. national parks also found that aggressive behavior by coyotes was exhibited more often in areas where park visitors were feeding coyotes than in areas where wildlife feeding occurred less frequently (Bounds & Shaw, 1994). Finally, wildlife feeding was implicated in the habituation of coyotes during a radiotelemetry study of coyotes in the Chicago metropolitan area (Gehrt, 2006)……Homeowners have control over several factors in their own yards that could potentially attract nuisance coyotes and increase the risk of attacks in their neighborhood. These factors include leaving food outside for pets, intentionally feeding wildlife, and leaving pets outside unattended (especially cats and small dogs) (Timm et al., 2004).” Coyote Attacks on Humans in the United States and Canada, L. A. White and S. D. Gehrt, School of Environmental and Natural Resources, Ohio State University,
Columbus, Ohio, USA
http://www.urbancoyoteresearch.com/New_Activities.htm
Lots of good stuff in there. Addressing their food sources that we actually have control over, should be a priority.
I think it’s fine to have a system to manage complaints, and the inquisitive part of me would even be fine with tracking their movements. But if the comment above is correct that they must be killed if caught, I don’t know if it could legally be done. The threat level just isn’t there to justify killing them at this point.
It is correct. I’ve heard it said multiple times by multiple people in the past year or so. In fact, the Mayor verified it with the City Manager at the last meeting and she shook her head “yes”.
I didn’t doubt ya. I just hadn’t heard that bit of legal oddness before, and wanted to look into myself before repeating it.
Georgia law does require you to kill a coyote you’ve trapped. As I understand it, the reasoning is to prevent people from trying to re-locate them, which doesn’t address any real problems and often creates them. What I’m suggesting is that the City of Decatur –IF they were going to get into any kind of active “management” of the coyote “problem” — adopt a strict policy of not supporting or being involved in any way with trapping unless it could be demonstrated beyond doubt that a specific, individual animal represents a threat to human life and limb. No “culling the herd to instill fear.” My main point is that instead of trying to “manage” coyotes, our energies would be better spent in managing our own behavior through education and encouraging everybody to take responsibility for what goes on in their yards and how it affects their neighbors. We apply that rationale to other aspects of sanitation and safety, and it seems to me it’s time to add “don’t attract coyotes” to the mix.
Are coyotes good eatin’? It seems every time Decatur gets on the subject of food security, it’s all about urban garden this and urban garden that. But now we’ve got wild game. Perhaps instead of looking at this as a problem, we should be dispatching cages and posting recipes. Plus, since every removed coyote ends up being replaced by a new one, that’s a fully sustainable food source.
I know you were saying that partly in jest, but it’s a good point. I would say if there were a coyote farm or reserve where people went and picked their coyote dinner, like people used to go pick their chickens back in the day, it would be a different conversation. But the arguments for killing them in this case, have nothing to do with food or any real logic that I have observed.
Moses Schallenberger, snowed in high up in the Sierra Nevadas during the winter of 1844-45, caught a coyote in his traps. Facing starvation, he ate some of it, but found it revolting. Fortunately, he was successful in trapping fox.
http://www.19thcenturypublications.com/bkMosesSchallenberger.html
How do you identify a specific animal when coyotes often live, travel and feed in packs. This is an impossible standard.
With all due respect, I think your bias is impairing your judgement (I am not making a judgment – we are all guilty of this from time to time). A few points:
The same people adamantly opposed to killing anything are the same ones who advocate urban farming. Are you suggesting that all chickens be kept and fed indoors? You do realize that chicken feed is a huge food source for rats, which are a huge food source for coyotes? So, even if your chicken pen is coyote proof (if that is remotely possible), it isn’t rat proof. BTW, several people on my street raise chickens, which I support, despite some minor inconveniences such as an increased rat population. But, according to you, although I support my neighbor’s rights to do as they please on their property, I can’t take actions to respond to the consequences of their actions, even if their actions may increase a certain risk to my pets. You can’t have it both ways. And, since I know this will be your response, even if you store your chicken feed in airtight containers indoors, when you feed the chickens, it ends up all over the pen, and those scraps attract rodents.
Why does everyone always blame the pet owner? Coyotes may be roaming your area because of the actions/inactions your neighbor (including the one raising chickens).
[edited] Are you really suggesting that if a coyote is spotted three doors down from my house, the government has the right to inspect my property solely because it is “nearby”.
“Stern lectures”. Really?
Although this may be more of a minor point, as many people on this board can attest (based on the many posts to the articles about Melton’s rat infestation), rats find a way into our homes. Even if animal feed is stored indoors, although it will undeniably help, it will not eliminate the problem. (I personally store my dog food in sealed plastic bins for this reason.)And I assume you aren’t going to advocate prohibiting possession of animal feed in our homes.
Let me add that I agree with you about educating the public about items which attract coyotes. But, in the debate about where the line should be drawn, you stepped way over it and kept going. I wa actually surprised you didn’t advocate prohibiting setting garbage on the curb for collection as a flimsy plastic bag sure as hell won’t stop a coyote looking for a meal.
“How do you identify a specific animal when coyotes often live, travel and feed in packs. This is an impossible standard.” — Yes, that is the point. (They actually live in family groups, like wolves, and typically hunt singly or in pairs but also sometimes in small groups.)
I wouldn’t get too worked up, so far the City has not invited me to draft ordinances about this or anything else. The above is just one woman’s opinion, based on reading and thinking about a lot of research about coyotes in urban and suburban settings. BTW, I’m not categorically opposed to killing anything (although I do think urban farming is an idea that should be cultivated [sorry, it's that giddy time of the afternoon]). I just don’t think killing coyotes in Decatur will accomplish anything.
And BTW, I’m still interested in the source of your assertion that polar bears are “routinely removed and relocated because of the danger they pose to people.”
Link on polar bear relocation.
http://icwdm.org/handbook/carnivor/PolarBears.asp
Personally, I am of the live and let live persuasion.
The article says most of the bears that get put in jail and then released north of Churchill don’t come back, but seems to indicate that more generally speaking, “Relocating problem bears usually does not solve the problem since they often return, sometimes from considerable distances.” Other than Churchill, which is a unique situation, I don’t see anything about routine relocation programs. On the other hand, this article contains extensive discussion of strategies and policies to manage human activities in ways designed to prevent bear-human conflicts.
Perhaps Dawgfan was referring to different information. (I’m not baiting, I’m honestly curious.)
You will have to ask someone of the Canadian persuasion. I am feuding with Canada since they stole my hockey team.
There are actually significant polar bear populations in Alaska and in Russia and other Arctic countries, too. And of course, they have the potential to cause problems everywhere. But we’re getting the last laugh ’cause their ice is melting! Bwah-ha-hahahaha…
The only thing on this entire board that crossed a line, was your now edited response to her. This situation needs to be kept in perspective. They’re not chasing people down in the square, this was an incident involving what they are using as a food source. The call for killing them based on the reported incidents here, hardly seem justified.
I stand by my unedited response.
And I stand by my edit. Not allowed.
Am I going to have to trap and relocate one of you?
DM, I wasn’t disputing your decision to edit my comment. I was simply responding to the remark about the edited comment. But, I don’t think it was an insult or a personal attack as the adjective described the statement, and not the person.
I know that you do, and while it is DM’s policy to remove those type of things, I actually don’t mind reading them. Speaking in generalizations here, but I have found throughout my life, and on blogs, people that aren’t above using certain words/insults to help prove their point, aren’t above using gross exaggerations or outright fabrications to do it either. As well-intentioned as they may feel they are, neither are acceptable. So when I see things that like, it’s a signal to be weary and take anything they say with a grain of salt. There’s the “get real, oh please” type of comments, and then there’s where you went. Thanks for the signal actually.
You think your comment is any different than mine? You basically just called me a liar, which would fall into the “insults” category. So, as I see it, your attitude and approach applies as equally to the person in your mirror as it does to me. You don’t know me and your generalizations don’t apply to me.
I really wish DM would unedit my comment so the context would become clear. I wasn’t speaking about smalltowngal, only her comment. But, your post is directed at me, and not something I said. Thanks for the signal actually.
Bored.
The number of ferral cats around Farm Burger would tend to disprove the flood plain/coyote/outdoor cat nexus.
Oh the coyotes know about the backside of Farmburger/Old Watershed, they just know they are seriously outnumbered. The first time I drove around the back of that building at night and my headlights hit the dozens of pairs of eyes, I thought it was the opening scene of “Cats” and I just had to sit there and watch them all for a little bit.
“Which way did he go? Which way did he go?”
I have an interactive map where folks can add details (location, date, etc.) about coyote sightings in Decatur, Once the map is populated, it can be used with GIS data on drainages, restaurant locations, etc. to refine our understanding of local coyote behavior.
Allow your cat to be outdoors and safe with a Catio (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/garden/17catio.html) or a less expensive option the Happy Habitat for Cats (http://www.amazon.com/ABO-Gear-Happy-Habitat-Indoor/dp/B002KWHE1E), call ABO gear (their US office is next door to be at 315 W. Ponce) for connecting tunnels!
I wonder how the peacocks running loose in Oakhurst have managed to escape being coyote-feed? Then again, I reckon a full-grown peacock could probably inflict some damage on a coyote, since they supposedly can get nasty when frightened or otherwise riled up…
The ones that lived in my great-uncle’s barnyard when I was a pre-schooler were definitely to be reckoned with. Chasing the chickens was fun, but those damned peacocks would turn around and rare up their tails, seems like they made fierce racket, too. Or that could have been us.
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