The city of Seal Beach, California has implemented a program to trap and "euthanize" coyotes that have invaded the seaside municipality on the western edge of Orange County. These aliens have made their unauthorized presence known by allegedly attacking a dozen pets, presumably dogs, and have been seen at least 99 times so far this year as we learn in this article from the Orange County Register.
So far, three of the blood thirsty canines have been captured and put to death by a private contractor hired by the city. An extremely intelligent animal, as animals go, successfully trapping the wily wild dog is no easy task. They've been on the list for local extinction all over the country for years but continue to maintain their range in the wild and have extended it to the suburbs and even in heavily populated areas. Can't have that. Can't have Fluffy become a sandwich for one of these uncivilized varmints.
A few years back an incident that involved the death of a small dog in a Milwaukee suburb wasn't witnessed but was attributed to a coyote attack nonetheless. The Journal-Sentinel said the response to its coverage generated more mail than any previous story ever. Today, cheeseheads are being advised to get used to urban predators.
A Chicago study has found that coyotes are everywhere in one of America's largest cities and have positive aspects, controlling the exploding population of another urban invader, the Canada goose, and rodents that have been a problem since cities came into being. City dwellers will probably have to get used to the usually invisible canines.
Across the continent, sophisticated Toronto, Ontario has problems with intelligent raccoons that seem to be able to force their way into almost any garbage container, per this story. People just prefer that wild animals stay in their normal environment on the Discovery Channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment