5:13 PM Fri, Jul 31, 2009 | Permalink |
ANACORTES, Wash. - People's pets are becoming dinner for hungry coyotes in Anacortes. In the last month, large numbers of coyotes have been spotted in town.
"We're getting a lot more calls than normal," said animal control officer Marie Padovan.
One of those calls came from dog owner Jody Grall. As she walked her dogs on a trail on the outskirts of town, a coyote ran out of the brush, grabbed one of the dogs and took off.
"Well it's very traumatic," said Grall. "I was in a state of shock."
It doesn't matter if you have a dog or cat. Coyotes don't discriminate. Missing animal flyers are posted all over town.
Park ranger Dave Oicles says coyotes have even been spotted jumping fences to snatch people's pets.
"If they get used to that food supply, they'll continue to go for it 'cause it's easy to get," said Oicles.
So, the warning goes out to keep a close eye on pets at home and when they're out.
"If you love your pet, I'd keep it on a leash," said Oicles.
On rare occasions, coyotes also attack humans. There have been no reports in Anacortes of the animals being aggressive toward people.
I just wanted to comment that your story on the coyotes in Anacortes makes them out to be some kind of villian that deliberatly stock pets. They are also innocent animals, and responsable reporters should remember that. They are wild animals and are hungry, so they will go where they find food.
That kind of attitude will spark a public reaction and you will soon be doing a story on how many of them are being killed by the people up there because they feel they have some kind of right to do it because of the negative picture painted of these creatures by King 5 News. They do not pose a danger (like most animals) unless they are backed into a corner. People should be more responsable with their pets.
It is obvious to me that you have never lost a loved one to a stinking coyote. Yes they are a wild animal and they deserve our respect when they are in their natural habitat but when they come into my yard and steal my pet all bets are off, I will not hesitate to rid the world of at least one coyote if it happens again.
Mikki Coyotes are opportunist they go were they can find the easiest meal and as population grows with people and they coyotes this means pets. Did you know that a hungry coyote will come in and eat a calf while they cow is birthing if given the chance did you know they pack up and circle animals taking bites and tearing flesh until they get the animal down it is not a fast death its a slow painful death. I will not hesitate to shoot a coyote if it comes within range. I am sure that is not what you people that think animals have the same rights as humans want to hear. Fact it is a animal a wild animal that spreads disease and coyotes are a huge carrier of parvo,fleas,worms,mange. Yeah i want that in my back yard. It's obvious you have never lost a pet to a coyote, your thinking would be different then.
We've lived in Skagit County for a very long time, out in the County. We hear coyotes fairly frequently. They sing when they kill, to gather the pack, and for many other reasons. My Dad used to tell me that "kitties are coyotes favorite food", and because of that, my two cats are house-bound only. They're 9 years old, and are in no danger of being eaten, getting distemper, or rabies.
Leaving a small dog on a run at night is asking for it to contribute to the food chain. Many years ago, a lady in the Burlington Country Club area reported that her small dog was on a run, at night, in her backyard. She heard a yelp, and all she got back was the collar. They'd leaped the fence, and dinner was theirs.
Cats should be inside! They eat migratory birds, they get into fights with other cats, and they're supposedly delicious. Even in the day-time it's asking for them to be a meal.
I had a German Shepherd/Coyote mix dog for a long time. He was so incredibly smart! I had to leave him outside while I went to work (late shift), and even though he had a very long chain, and was very big, one night he was surrounded by coyotes. If the neighbor hadn't brought his shotgun over and scared them away, my baby would have been eaten. We left him inside from then on (while we were away)! He meant too much to me to lose.
Coyotes are natural predators, and will eat anything they can catch. It must be stressed that small dogs must be on leashes when walked (isn't that law mostly everywhere??) and not left alone. Otherwise, the problem will continue. We have built houses on major amounts of coyote territory; where do you think they'll go? Just disappear?? Not likely.
Do yourself a favor...protect your pets!
Renee are you always this much of a tool/internet tough guy?
" I will not hesitate to shoot a coyote if it comes within range"
Hhahah. So you just shoot things for the fun or do you feel it is your calling to "cleanse"?
Coyotes attack humans? Where, when? If so I would bet more cats have attacked humans.
Speaking of cats. I met two biologists researching the decline of songbirds in California neighborhoods that still had good bird habitat. Over the years the birds kept declining and then there was a big turn around. Coyotes.
Yes Coyotes started cleaning out the culprit, house cats and now the birds are making a come back.
Keep you cats in the house. Thats what I do and I have plenty of birds now and a safe cat.
I walk my small dog most every day in Washington Park. All this week (1st week of September) I had been told of a coyote in the Green Point area. This morning (Sunday, September 6th), around 9:30, as I was walking the park counter-clockwise and had just passed Green Point and started up the hill, a couple walking down the hill towards me said "I don't want to alarm you, but there is a coyote behind you, following you and your dog". I turned around and was shocked to see how close it was, and how unafraid it was. My dog weighs 15 pounds, so she is small to mid-size, and she was on a leash. Nevertheless, the coyote was interested. I picked my dog up and turned around and walked back to the parking lot with the people who had informed me about the coyote, carrying my dog part of the way. The coyote ambled off the road into the bushes when we started back towards it. We have coyotes here and we need to be aware of where they are being seen so that we can make wise choices about keeping our pets safe.
coyotes are the bomb. cleaning up feral animals just like the dingoes do here in australia with the introduced european feral fox. as soon as the cat numbers go down, the native animal species number goes up. when they started killing the dingoes, all of a sudden there were more foxes and more native animals became extinct. they are like garbagemen, and if u dont want ure pet to be garbage then keep it indoors. they r just doing wats natural and ure encraching on their land, so ure all being stupid wen u leave them out now shut up and stop complaining.