Latest Coyote Attack Highlights Greater Problem

The news in Arizona has been filling up with so many stories of coyote attacks over the course of the last couple of years that it's threatening to drop from the news because these attacks have nearly become a daily occurrence. One of the recent stories involved a dog named Lexy (yes, after the car). Lexy was being taken for a walk by its owner in a well-to-do residential area of Phoenix, when out of the blue, Lexy found itself in the grasp of a coyote and fighting for its life. Thankfully, Lexy's owner had Lexy on a leash and was able to pull Lexy away from coyote while threatening the coyote at the same time. Lexy survived the encounter in tact, if not battle scarred.

Due to repeated complaints to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, a public meeting will be held to assuage pet owners, but officials have already gone to the media to prepare the public that they may not like what Game and Fish has to say. Basically, it's their conclusion that humans are creating the risk to their own pets. And there is nothing that Game and Fish can do about it.

People move to the Valley to get a little closer to nature. To wonder in it, to have immediate and almost at demand contact with nature. But what we've forgotten is that there are consequences to our actions. It's really less than the fact that we are now living on land that was just ten years ago, a hunting ground for coyotes, it's more that we have not been properly interacting with them. I've been guilty of myself. I just stand and watch the coyotes as they go by. When one ate my Halloween pumpkin last year, I just watched it. I didn't even bang on the window to disturb it. Unconsciously, I was experiencing my own personal live action Discovery Channel show.

We don't want to bother the coyotes, because our better natures tell us so. We want to live in peace with the coyotes. But the problem is that the coyotes have no such interest, they're just looking for something to eat. When development first exploded in the Valley, we humans had the advantage over the coyotes, because the coyotes were afraid of us. Most coyotes had never seen a person before. But now, most coyotes have had a lot of experience with humans. And they now know not to be afraid of us. We've lost our advantage. Walking your dog on a leash is not good enough. That coyote eying Fluffy will not be scared off just because there is a human in the vicinity.

And don't trust those 7ft tall fences that most of us have around our homes. More and more frequently, coyotes are feeling quite free to come right up to them in search of a feast. Some of the more athletic of the coyotes have been known to jump over these fences, nab Fifi right there in your backyard, and disappear over the fence in the time it takes you to go inside to fetch a beer from the fridge.

The solution is a fairly easy one, but one that may disturb some people. Simply, we humans have to make the coyotes afraid of us again. We cannot allow them to peacefully pass by our properties. We cannot simply stand there is awe of nature when we see them. No, we don't need guns. We simply need to shout at them, clap our hands, and if need be, throw stones in their direction. We need to motivate them to not come back. Which of course means that we won't be seeing them any more. But if we really respect nature, we need to recognize that humans and coyotes are not meant to be living as neighbors.