Coyote Trapped in Rye (Shhh!)
Do you think this was a good idea? Or not? The City of Rye chose not to publicize the following story of this coyote’s capture until nine days after it happened.
The photo of the coyote is seen on the professional trapper’s Facebook page . He says he couldn’t bring himself to kill the animal, someone not associated with his company did.
Give us your opinion on this:
From the Rye P.D.:
A coyote was captured within the confines of the City of
The animal, a male weighing approximately forty pounds, was found at approximately 3:00 P.M. in a wooded area near
Information regarding the capture was not immediately released in order to extend the potential usefulness of the trapping location. Because of the scent left in the area by the captured animal, the City’s hired trapper, Jim Horton, was hopeful that additional coyotes might be captured if the location were left undisturbed. Police Commissioner William Connors said, “Wildlife experts uniformly say that it is extraordinarily difficult to trap coyotes during the summer; since Mr. Horton had success with this location, we were obligated to preserve it for as long as possible. Contamination of the area would have eliminated that opportunity.”
There has been a noticeable drop in coyote sightings; since July 26th, only two have been reported, both on August 3rd. “Although we cannot say the coyote threat has been resolved, or whether other factors are involved, we do believe our efforts have been successful to date in beginning to re-establish the necessary line of fear coyotes need to have for humans based on the capture of this animal, the decrease in reported sightings, and the decrease in reports of bold or aggressive coyote behavior toward humans,” the Commissioner said. He urged residents to continue to be aware of the possibility of aggressive coyote behavior, and to continue to take precautions with small children outdoors.
The City will continue its hazing and harassment strategy to include aggressive hunting and trapping efforts in accordance with the advice of the State DEC and will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of methods and tactics in order to ensure public safety. The City will also continue to take the lead in establishing a regional, long-term approach with surrounding municipalities, the state and the federal government in dealing with this trend.
Coyote sightings should be reported immediately by calling 911 or the Police Department’s main number, (914) 967-1234.
| Update: Another Coyote Attack in Rye | |||
| 6 Year Old Attacked by Coyotes in Rye |
Putting down this animal was a mistake. There is nothing in this article that reports the animal, in particular, was creating a hazard to anyone. The better choice ought to have been would have been to trap and re-locate the animal(s), and others as we continue. How many more need be trapped and killed (euthanize is being polite).
Balance is the direction for our wildlife. Raccoons die off (rabies and distemper) and the the chipmunk population explodes. What may happen if the coyote population is removed? Why not do a deer count now? My theory is that the coyote intrusions in May and June were juveniles seeking new territory. Just a theory. The support for it may be that there were no attacks during the Summer other than missing domestic animals (cats & dogs).
I think the Rye PD did the right thing in not sharing the information. Kids were attacked and they believed this gave them a better opportunity to trap the additional animals.
A friend in Dutchess County has told me that in their area, coyotes have mated with dogs, producing offspring that lack the natural aversion to humans that she said coyotes have. I wonder if the coyotes here might be hybrid offspring who seek out areas near humans and approach humans in the way a dog might.
[quote][i]Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.[/i]
-Charles De Gaulle[/quote]
[quote][i]It is the newspaper’s [sic] duty to print the news and raise hell.[/i]
– Wilbur F. Storey[/quote]
I totally agree with Richard. There was no reason to go as far as euthanizing the coyote. I agree that families should take every precaution especially if they live in an area where you have a lot of land being very careful especially with young children.
If they went as far as capturing the coyote saying that no harm came when doing so, then they should have tested the coyote to make sure he did not have rabies. If all was negative, the coyote should have been given a chance to live and be relocated.
You have to remember that we are taking away their natural habitats and they are losing what was once theirs……lots of space and land.
I moved to Larchmont 26 years ago from Brooklyn to give my kids a better life. At that time Brooklyn became so overcrowded that you could not even remove your car from the street spots. If you did and decided to go out you were guaranteed that when you needed parking for the following day you would not find a spot.
Then we started looking in Larchmont. I felt as if we had won the lottery. Whatever store you wanted to visit in town, parking was available in front of the store. If you wanted to dine out the same thing. Now it’s horrible. How many times i have driven up and down Palmer, Chatsworth even the Municipal Parking Lot to find no spaces.
I wanted to say all this because the same thing is happening to wildlife. We are taking property away from them and little by little, they have no place to go.
Anyone who has young children or for that matter pets which go outdoors can relate to the fear that an unpredictable and potentially diseased wild animal in the vicinity could cause harm. But like racoons and foxes and other occasional visitors in our area, coyotes are beautiful animals and a vivid reminder that this planet is not a home just for us, and we need to figure out better ways to share it. We create an environment that invites visits by coyotes etc. by taking away more and more of the type of land they would prefer to live in, and by dangling tempting potential food sources in front of them like morsels of food dropped at our barbeques, or at times perhaps some of our discarded garbage, or at times our smaller pets. Fair enough to (humanely) round up a coyote that’s been wandering a bit too close to people’s back doors, but it’s a horrible thing to just kill it. Part if the required drill should be to relocate this type of animal if it is viewed as potentially dangerous.