Coyote Danger

A photo of the actual coyote that threatened a man and his dog at Hidden Falls Park in St. Paul, Minnesota. The threatened dog is on the right.

The adaptable coyote continues to disorganize the order of post-modern civilization by invading American communities, as this story from the St. Paul Pioneer Press explains.

Hidden Falls Park is a secluded spot on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the gorge that runs through Minneapolis and St. Paul. Through the years much of the land adjoining the river has been reclaimed from commercial and industrial uses and re-purposed to recreational activity, which apparently involves mostly planting grass over what was once concrete. There's also the idea that this will be a return to "nature", strips of wilderness in the city.

Unfortunately, not only joggers and dog walkers enjoy the artificial/natural setting near the river. Real wild animals seem to like it as well. To a city dweller, the sight of any wild animal larger than a squirrel can be exciting or scary or both. The relatively recent expansion of the populations of Canada geese and wild turkeys in the area have created mixed feelings in the neighborhood. Both of these large birds can be a "nuisance".  But these avians are not carnivores. They don't pretend to look at mixed breed dogs as a potential lunch, if indeed that's how the coyote views a closely related domestic canine.

In this particular incident, the coyote was described as "tracking" the golden doodle and its owner. This meant intended harm, contact with law enforcement and shots fired. A number of questions arise.

What is the status of a coyote in the contemporary American city? Is it illegal for them to frequent parks? If they do, are they subject to the death penalty? Are they so dangerous that perhaps a concerted effort should be made to eradicate them? Maybe there should be a special squad made up of coyote hunters. Are only cops allowed to shoot at them? Can one call law enforcement to kill an offending opossum or raccoon?

Is a coyote threatening a dog or person by simply being near them? Can humans read the intentions of the coyote mind? If death by gunfire is the response to a coyote "threat", what of the threat that a human might perceive from another human? If a person feels threatened by the proximity of another do they have the right to shoot them or is this response limited to animals of a lower state of evolution?

Is it a good idea for law enforcement to be shooting in public areas? When cops fire their guns at people there's usually some kind of an investigation. Will there be one as a result of this incident?

There was evidence that the coyote may have been wounded. It's an unwritten law, or maybe even a written one, that animals that have been wounded must be tracked and dispatched to end their misery. Every hunter knows this. It doesn't seem that any such thing occurred after this encounter. Wouldn't an unhappy, wounded coyote be even more dangerous than an undamaged one? Couldn't some innocent child walking near the park run afoul of a coyote in pain and be attacked? 

There may not be any good answers to these questions but as conflicts between humans and wild animals that have adapted to a new environment become more frequent decisions will have to be made.