Urban coyotes could be setting the stage for larger carnivores to move into cities

[DavidDvorkin]

Coyotes are the largest of the mammalian carnivores to have made their way to, and thrived in, urban settings, Gehrt said.

"The coyote is the test case for other animals. Raccoons, skunks, foxes – they've already been able to penetrate the urban landscape pretty well. The coyote is the most recent and largest. The jury's out with what's going to happen with the bigger ones," he said.

The bigger ones include wolves, mountain lions and bears. Mountain lions have been seen on the fringes of cities already, and one was shot near the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/osu-ucc100112.php



Okay, Mother Nature. You've made your point. You can stop now.

[hedgehog]

1. I for one am very glad to see coyotes moving into my woods to

catch the turkeys, rabbits, squirrels and occasional deer. I figure better coyotes who stay away from me than a big cat who thinks I'm dinner!

[hlthe2b]

7. I have a feeling you won't think so in a year or two when they've taken hold and

having lost all fear of humans (largely because of some ignorant people feeding and encouraging them), start going after leashed dogs with their owners. I've seen them go after a full grown Golden Retriever with their owner on the bike paths in the south Denver suburbs.

[DavidDvorkin]

12. Yes. I live in southwest Denver

and I've noticed their increased aggressiveness and decreases shyness.

[Michigan Alum]

26. You must not have any pets. We had a huge problem with coyotes snatching pets here in.

A coyote tore the lanai screen and snatched a cat out of their pool area. It was in the community next to me. I live in Naples Fl. Almost all of the panthers have gotten killed off and they were the main predator to coyotes.

[DavidDvorkin]

30. We used to have a lot of pets

But that was years ago, before the coyotes became so bold. Other people in this area have had pets killed or injured by coyotes in their back yards.

[regnaD kciN]

77. Yep...coyotes are bad news for pet-owners...

We keep our cats inside (fortunately, they've gotten too old to try sneaking outside all the time), but I know other people in the neighborhood who've lost their cats to coyotes.

[Mugu]

82. I don’t have pets anymore and I actually like to listen to the coyotes at night,

so I don’t bother with them anymore. But, back when I had barn cats that the coyotes thought might be easy meals I found that a 12ga. loaded with #4 buckshot worked like magic. Within about 45 yards, if you center up the pattern on them, they drop like they’ve been stuck by lightning. You see the fur fly off the far side and they collapse like you turned off a light switch. No crying, no suffering, not even a twitch of the tail.

Coyotes aren’t stupid. The survivors won’t come back, so you won’t need to repeat the process again for 2 or 3 years until a younger generation decides that the rules don’t apply to them.

[ellie]

55. I live in

the southern Denver suburbs and I haven't seen a coyote yet. I have seen rattlesnakes and large spiders though.

[Egalitarian Thug]

60. And I have a feeling that you might want consider your lifestyle and the consequences thereof.

When you and the people you elect encroach ever further into the territories of animals that have been there far longer than you and will either be there long after you're gone or will leave you with a whole new set of problems created by the typically short-sighted "solutions" traditionally pursued by the unthinking greed-heads that dominate.

Our family and an assortment of pets and tasty domestic livestock have lived with large coyote (and mountain lions, hawks, falcons, predators in general) populations for generations. Sub/Exurban idiots have to adapt or bear the consequences. If you don't want the country life, stay in the city. It's just too bad that your pets are the ones that suffer for your ignorance.

[hlthe2b]

63. You are incredibly rude and know NOTHING. Absolutely nothing about me

You have exposed your ignorance widely in this post. And you could not be more wrong. I do not live in an newly developed encroached area and for your information, I too grew up side by side with livestock and wildlife. As I clearly pointed out, the issue is with people who feed and encourage them--allowing coyotes to lose any fear of man and thus feel free to approach.

I hope everyone in this thread sees your rude call-out and sees what YOU are all about. Your user name is certainly apropos.

[Egalitarian Thug]

96. Damn! I am so sorry that I was out of town dealing with actual nature and the inhabitants thereof

and missed your temper tantrum when it was still fresh. I just love hearing you suburban fluffballs whine about how close you are to nature while warning others about the serious consequences of encountering it IRL. And in my own back yard to boot! Priceless!

If you ever venture into the city and stop into the History Colorado Center (12th & Broadway, not in City Park) you will find a whole lot of info on my family. So unless you are Ute or Shoshoni, like the coyotes we've been there much longer than you and your kind. My people adopted what the people that were there before us taught us, struck a balance and lived there quite successfully for generations before your kind came and screwed it up. If you don't like it, you are free to leave. Please. It used to be such a nice place.

I'm sure that the opinions of others on this thread matters to you, but the lives of the creatures whose lives you are hurting and the fragile ecosystem you are demolishing with your cracker box McMansion subdivisions and never-ending white flight is what matters to me.

[hlthe2b]

97. I hope everyone sees this ugly post from you. None of this applies, but keep your ugly stereotypes^

[AspenRose]

94. I thought this story was about the wildlife making their way moving into the urban areas

Not about the humans who are going out in the country, and encroaching on the land.

People who have always lived in the city are not necessarily going to know how to deal with coyotes (and bears, and mountain lions) who have lost their fear of humans.

[onehandle]

2. I'm hoping for raptors.

[Indpndnt]

43. Heh!

[formercia]

3. They want their Country back

Large Predators were here long before Humans.

[PotatoChip]

57. LOL at your post title!!!

[Egalitarian Thug]

61. LMAO! Perfect. thanks. n/t

[NCTraveler]

64. Disconnect. nt.

[NV Whino]

4. It's the raccoons you have to worry about

They have a plan to take over the world.

[JHB]

22. One fellow has been at it in disguse...

[pinboy3niner]

31. Think...

[snooper2]

35. You should see the fat momma and three kids that come to our backdoor every night..

catfood out for scrappy the stray who lives basically at our house, then come the racoons. My inside cat Samy sits on the concrete while they run around him and is like,--- blah, eat what you want I'm full

[aquart]

54. Raccoons have adapted.

We have a wily old lady who comes in daylight.

[pinboy3niner]

56. They sure have!

[hifiguy]

72. I swear that all raccoons are from Noo Yawk.

When I was living on a main through street in a first ring suburb of Minneapolis a few years ago I had to go outside one evening. Two raccoons were trying to get into my raccoon-proof latching garbage can in the driveway. They just gave me the "whadda YOU want??" stinkeye and waddled away in their own good time.

Bears, on the other hand would be pretty freaky. Fortunately I live in the middle of the actual city now. No bears.

[aquart]

75. Ours certainly are. You don't ever want to leave a door propped open.

[aquart]

99. Baby raccoons purr. Who knew?

[NV Whino]

66. My raccoon comes in the house to get the cat food

My cats raise their head and say, "Ho-hum, it's only the raccoon."

[hlthe2b]

5. Some of us are already accustomed to the potential risk...

I was only a 1/4 mile away on a bike path from where a mountain lion was spotted near Golden--walking my dog. I don't do foothills trails--even the more urban bike paths near dusk. And, I ALWAYS carry pepperspray and a cell phone. Heavy duty Bear pepper spray if I'm going to be higher in the foothills/mountains and would put bear bells on my dog when hiking.

I frequently see coyotes and fox in the open space areas near my home late at night or in the very early morning. That's why the very plentiful wild rabbits stick like magnets to my yard and those of my neighbors.

But our role in global warming which is decimating food supplies and our movement into their habitat is largely to blame.

[COLGATE4]

33. Your post reminds me of the rule on how to

distinguish between the presence of Brown Bears and Grizzlies. You can tell by looking at the spoor. With the Brown Bear, the spoor is pellet-like and has little smell. With a Grizzly, the spoor smells like pepper spray and contains lots of little bells.

[hlthe2b]

34. One should avoid Grizzlies at all cost... Given they've not yet wandered from the WY Tetons into CO

they are not yet an issue. That said, Grizzlies do try to avoid people, so giving them some noise warning IS advised, your sarcasm not withstanding.

[COLGATE4]

38. Lighten up. It's a joke.

[hlthe2b]

39. Yes.. heard it countless times. Usually by those who think hiking

and outdoor recreation in the mountains is "beyond foolish"...

But, yes, it is a classic and no I'm not taking offense.

[closeupready]

46. There's footage on "Thunderbeast" (avail. on Netflix) -

A herd of American buffalo in Yellowstone is running from a grizzly who outruns the laggards and snatches one for lunch - it's chilling to watch; the footage is just unreal, but magnificent. It's a National Geographic documentary. Cheers.

[raina starling]

6. In the last year I have seen several coyotes and possibly a fox.

And skunks and raccoons!

[kooljerk666]

8. New coyote species evolving in NE USA....

They believe coyotes migrating from SE USA moving into the NE have been brreding with wolves.

These things are big, like males close to 100lbs & live in urban area easily.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coywolf

This woman was killed by coyotes & help was minutes away....... http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/10/28/ns-coyote-attack-died.html

I saw one in my suburban neighborhood. My dog is 65 lbs & looks like a dingo, the coyote we spotted was bigger than him!!

If i was going into the deep woods alone (w/o others or dog) I would carry a .45 cal pistol or double barrel shotgun. The only good part of this story is we are watching evolution in action & creationists can STFU.

I called dept of wildlife & reported this animal & the agent said "what do u want me to do about it? philly is overrun with them".

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/11/111107-hybrids-coyotes-wolf-virginia-dna-animals-science/

and here is more than u can shake a stick at...........
http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=national+geographic+coyote+wolf+hybrid&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest

[librechik]

9. random irrelevant fact: There are 10,000 Tigers kept as pets in backyards in the US.

please continue your discussion.

[DavidDvorkin]

13. Good God!

[closeupready]

47. Is that true, or are you just kidding?

If true, I think that's kind of neat.

[librechik]

50. true story--altho it's been a few years ago that I watched a documentary about it

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0816_020816_EXPLcats.html

that link is from 2003, not sure whether there's more now or less (article says as many as 15,000. yikes. That's about when I first heard about it.

Animal defenders are quite concerned because a cage is no place to keep a tiger except of course, it is. They should be in the wild, if possible.

Heres' a link from 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15475636
it's about tigers and other exotic animals that Americans keep in their home zoos.

[Brigid]

49. It isn't irrelevant if your neighbor has one.

[JRLeft]

10. I saw a fox and a deer at work on Wednesday in Pleasanton.

[DavidDvorkin]

14. Sorry, I just can't resist:

What were they working on?

[pinboy3niner]

19. Laptops

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[DavidDvorkin]

29. Ha!

[pinboy3niner]

11. ZOMG, it's even worse than that...

[kooljerk666]

17. oh no there goes tokyo...............

[Doremus]

15. We have black bear in suburban cities here in NE Ohio.

They are big, but they're omnivores, not carnivores. Their large size can be intimidating though, hence the concern about their spread into urban areas.

[slackmaster]

16. I approve of mountain lions and bears

[JaneyVee]

18. Coyotes often in Central Park.

[aquart]

76. Define "often".

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

20. I live in a heavily developed suburban area

I'm in Huntington Beach, California, a few miles south of Los Angeles. The traffic is heavy and virtually every livable space has a house or business on it. But my neighborhood is about three miles from a protected expanse of wetlands. Nearly every week a dog or cat disappears from my neighborhood because of coyotes hunting at night. I've also seen a lot of possums. These wild animals would have to cross about four or five extremely busy streets to get to my neighborhood. Beach Boulevard which lies between my house and the wetlands is three lanes of very busy 24-hour a day traffic in each direction. I'm amazed that animals would come across across these busy streets even at night.

[porphyrian]

21. Lions! n/t

[pinboy3niner]

23. Tigers! n/t

[RevStPatrick]

32. Bears! Oh My!!!

[pinboy3niner]

36. Oh, my!

[porphyrian]

53. Good, I was worried no one would do that.

[hifiguy]

24. Lions, or at least mountain lions

might be useful in keeping down the wingnut population.

[didact]

25. I, for one, accept our new mammalian carnivore Overlords!

[Egalitarian Thug]

62. +1. They couldn't possibly do a worse job than the bald monkeys have. n/t

[pbrower2a]

70. C. lupus, domesticated variant

We already have dogs, formidable predators in their own right.

[csziggy]

27. I was going to post this article from national Geographic

So I'll tack it into this thread:

The Carnivores Next Door
Posted by Amy Briggs of National Geographic Books in Tales of the Weird on October 5, 2012

Coyotes are the largest mammalian carnivores—so far—to have adapted and thrived in an urban setting. Gehrt believes that “The coyote is the test case for other animals. Raccoons, skunks, foxes—they’ve already been able to penetrate the urban landscape pretty well. The coyote is the most recent and largest. The jury’s out with what’s going to happen with the bigger ones.”

So who are the bigger ones poised to invade? Wolves, mountain lions, and bears, for a start. Mountain lions are making appearances near cities already—including the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago and recently in Des Moines, Iowa. A family of black bears has recently been spotted roaming the suburban streets Cedar Grove, New Jersey.

According to Gehrt, it’s these larger mammals that “are going to be an even bigger challenge.” It used to be that humans moved to urban areas to get away from the dangers of living near big predators. Now, it seems the carnivores are following us.

“The funny thing is that now we have more people on Earth and bigger cities than ever, we also now have carnivores moving into cities. It’s a two-way street: We’re expanding cities into their territories and they’re also coming in,” said Gehrt, who also holds appointments with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and Ohio State University Extension.

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/10/05/the-carnivores-next-door/

[Michigan Alum]

28. This is happening because of the loss of habitat and the killing off of panthers, etc.

When things like this happen it's a sign that things are out of balance. People will also be killing all these animals off.

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. I have seen skunks and very large raccoons on my walk from the El to my house

(usually at night, though). If I see a fucking mountain lion on my walk home one night, I am going to literally lose my shit.



(The walk from the L stop to my house is about 3/4 mile, north side of Chicago).

[DavidDvorkin]

41. The wildlife come and go in waves here

We used to have a fox or two that spent a lot of time in our back yard. They disappeared, and now we have lots of rabbits. Obvious connection there, but I don't know why the foxes disappeared. Driven off by the coyotes, who haven't yet discovered the rabbits because there are lots of prairie dogs where the coyotes den?

The raccoons have also come and gone.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

40. Coyotes, etc, have to make a living too.

I live in a semi-rural area. And, there are plenty of coyotes around singing to us almost every night. Our cats are strictly house-cats which keeps them from being lunch and protects them from the usual diseases and cars.

Live & let live.

[DavidDvorkin]

42. Why don't they get a job, damn it, instead of living on handouts?!

[Canuckistanian]

44. They'e the 47% of the animal world

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

48. The coyote workplace environment isn't always easy

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

59. No health care, no workplace safety laws, no retirement plan, and Mother Nature is a tough boss.

[One_Life_To_Give]

45. For we are Crunchy and good with Chocolate. nt

[yellowcanine]

51. Black bears are an increasing problem in some urban/suburban environments.

Unlike coyotes, they are omnivores, so they may be more adapted to an urban/suburban environment.

[undergroundpanther]

81. well you could always get a cat..

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http://www.itchmo.com/cat-scares-bear-up-the-tree-twice-1049

http://guycodeblog.mtv.com/2012/04/24/funny-videos-of-house-cats-scaring-bears/

[darkangel218]

52. Well, what are they supposed to do ?

We're taking over their habitat, they're taking over ours! That simple! With all the deforestation that's going on all over the country/world, I'm.not surprised at all by this sad situation.

[LeftyMom]

58. Mountain lions aren't uncommon along the river here, but they're reluctant to be around people,

and they eat deer, so they don't really go any farther in than the burbs (even though there's plenty of inviting habitat right in the center of town) presumably because the risk of humans starts to outweigh the benefit of tasty deer pretty quickly.

[HiPointDem]

65. bigger issue is *why*.

[formercia]

68. The smell of Baby Back Ribs is irresistable.

Mickey Dee's, not so much.

[StarryNite]

67. Some of my neighbors...

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

They were here first.
As far as pets go, we have to be their guardians and protect them from all danger. For instance, around here you don't leave a small dog or cat alone outside. IMHO all cats should be indoor pets.

[Brigid]

71. I like your neighbors.

[StarryNite]

73. Thank you!

Me too! Aren't they beautiful?!

[Brigid]

74. I want a bobcat.

But I think my two kittehs would object.

[undergroundpanther]

84. had a bobcat visit my yard

awhile,he was a gorgeous guy so pretty,than one day he moved elsewhere.I'll never forget him.

[StarryNite]

89. They are so pretty and not often seen.

I was just lucky to be driving up to my house at the right time. And lucky that I had my camera with me. When I first saw him he was crossing the road from my yard into the yard across the street. I was so excited. LOL

[StarryNite]

87. In our local paper a couple of months ago...

there was wonderful picture of a bobcat on the outside of an Arcadia door. On the inside were two house cats. The bobcat and one of the house cats were looking at each other and they each had a paw up on the glass door like they were touching paws! It was the cutest thing! I cut out the picture and still have it on one of my cupboard doors.

[StarryNite]

90. Once in a lifetime shot

I took a picture of this newspaper picture. Not the best quality picture but yet clear enough to show just what an amazing moment in time this was.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Paladin]

69. I Side With The Coyotes. (nt)

[undergroundpanther]

79. I side with coyotes too

but the cougars,and other big cats are my heart.
people have taken too much from this Earth and the coyotes and cougars are coming to us to tell us to stop mowing and paving their habitats away.And people need to stop being so anthropocentric.We are supposed to SHARE this planet not consume it until it's dead.

[undergroundpanther]

78. we have overtaken

and poisoned or destroyed their habitat,where else can they live? I think it's time to stop letting corporations and greedy developers decide how we live.It's time to let some land be wild we have enough empty malls and business parks already,we have to use cars less and public transport more so we don't make more roads that clog up as soon as they are paved and mow more of the wildlife's homes apart..and admit the lawn idea and mowing everything down is stupid.Development needs to cease and people need to think in the longer term before they have kids.The world is limited,and we have taken over too much.The animals adapting to cities should be a sign of this.But shooting them scaring them off won't stop them from trying to survive. People have to think farther than themselves or their own species.Religion created a population problem,so did ego,ownership,agriculture.We have changed the world too much and the imbalance is seeking to re balance and if cougars move in,well we took thier space to exist away.to make mc mansions sprawl,empty business parks we don't need,walmarts,stores we don't need,roads and parking lots for too many cars..we have over developed the land,wasted space and as a species we seem to have no self control or can't stop those with no self control regarding development so,coyotes come in.
Growth isn't nessesary,growth can cease.Stability is what is needed not more growth.

[WCGreen]

80. I live in a suburb fairly close to downtown Cleveland....

Over the last few years we have been visited by skunks, chipmuncks, hawks, groundhogs and deer almost everyday in our yards.

We have a uncontrolled compost pile and it serves as a great place for all these animals to gather for some snacks.

[undergroundpanther]

83. I like having

foxes bunnies,owls,all the wildlife living in my yard,I let part of it go wild to give them shelter. Sadly where I live wild places are being destroyed like crazy to build crap. My neighbors told me they appreciated watching the wildlife in my yard too. One time a rabbit gave birth to 6 little ones a few years ago on my front porch pylon where it has a ornamental vine growing,and it is filled with soil.
I put a tarp over them before a bad storm hit so they wouldn't drown if the gutters got overwhelmed as the water would go right down their hole,and no one ran when I did this. My front door was opened and shut and the rabbits did not run or freakout.The momma brought up her family, the 6 babies were incredibly cute, I would not touch them although I gave them water and xtra food.Interesting because these rabbits knew a hawk lived in my pine tree.They felt safe on the porch.Safer there than the bushes. Animals know who accepts them.I'm not scared,they do their thing I do mine.I walk past a huge blacksnake going into the shed,later we pass each other again as I walk back to the shed.He keeps the voles and mice in check.I love the critters here I have helped the hurt,once it was a bird, and the birds never shit on my roommates car, I am there whatever they need if I can help I will. But I'm not stupid. I walk past them they go past me,we co-exist.I also realize In reality nothing is owned.Everything is shared,some humans however take too much and truly think a chunk of land is for themselves only.which I think is insane..

[WCGreen]

85. I forgot the bunnies and snakes...

We live about 1500 feet from a bar. One night, I was outside for some reason and there was this huge buck just standing there, occasionally looking around and grabbing a nibble here and there.

This drunk guy came staggering around this little stand of trees in the corner of our yard and the buck and the drunk came almost face to face,,,,

Well the drunk guy yelped and the Buck jumped up and they both started running and howling.

I was laughing my ass off...

[undergroundpanther]

95. that caught on camera

would have made you a cheezeburger legend..man meets nature..LOL..

[longship]

86. I live in the midst of the Manistee Nat'l Forest.

I have a pet outdoor cat who deals with coons, possums, groundhogs, etc. on a daily basis. She's feral, but friendly and I feed her every morning.

But we also have lots of big game here. Of course, white tail deer and wild turkeys. But the MI DNR has declared open season on wild pigs, undoubtedly feral escapees. There are also bobcats, black bear, and cougars. Fucking cougars!!! I have seen the former two, but not a cougar. Apparently, they are here.

Life in the woods is always interesting. BTW, the bobcats here are fucking big. I hope I don't run into a God damn cougar.

on edit: Yes! There are lots of coyotes here, too. Often hear them late night.

[JonLP24]

88. I hope so

[Robb]

91. Can I trade skunks for coyotes?

I'm down with urban wildlife -- neat tracks in the snow in the morning and what-not -- but I'm over skunk spray. Is there an exchange program?

[StarryNite]

92. How about a two rattlesnakes

for a couple of skunks?

[Robb]

93. LOL touché. nt

[meaculpa2011]

98. A friend of mine lives on a lake in New Jersey and...

went for a late-night swim this past July. As he pulled himself out of the water and onto the dock he heard some splashing water behind him. It was a rather large bear. He now swims in daylight only.

I'll stay in the pool.

And yes, I said New Jersey. If you climb to the top of the hill behind his house you can see the New York skyline.