L
Posted on 08/31/2007 11:14:42 AM PDT by yorkie
Wary customers at North Valley grocery stores keep a watchful eye after several shoppers were recently threatened by three brazen coyotes.
The animals were killed after they were trying to snatch white grocery bags from customers at a Fry's supermarket at Tatum Road and Cave Creek Road.
"Coyotes are very smart animals," said Kriselle Colvin with Arizona Game & Fish.
"Once they know where food source is, they know white bags have food in them, so they'll go up and grab them," Colvin said.
One of the biggest reasons for the problem is well-meaning people feeding them, Colvin said.
In the Biltmore area a few years ago, a woman was buying rotisserie chickens from the store and leaving them out for the coyotes.
Elsewhere, coyotes have made themselves at home in Kathy St. Hilaire's North Valley neighborhood.
"We see them walking up and down streets down subdivisions, in front of houses looking for food," she said.
Wildlife officers said they field complaints every week about people feeding wildlife all across the Valley and it's usually because they think the animals are hungry.
But if coyotes learn to expect food from people, it could make them dangerous to children and small pets, Colvin said.
"I don't even know if there's such a thing as a starving coyote," Colvin said.
"I mean, all these are very well fed and there are plenty of food sources. Golf courses have rabbits for them to eat."
It's against the law in Arizona to feed any wildlife with the exception of birds and tree squirrels.
Violators could fined $300.
Note to Son...read this!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I just got a flyer in my mail box (Greenwood Village, CO) that had an article about how to Live in Peace and Harmony with Coyotes
Colorado has become so friggin' liberal I wanna PUKE
The potential for harm to kids here is enormous...and folks have no recourse to self-defense, because you cannot discharge a firearm within city limits...not even with a hunting license.
Maybe a slingshot/wrist-rocket?
L
Note to self: Take aluminum baseball bat to grocery store.
Coyotes are not pets. Here is a list of coyote attacks: Coyote Attack Page
Coyote Hunting is great sport too: Varmint Al's Coyote Hunting Page
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al
Interestingly enough, the ONLY defensive part of the feelgood article said to be sure and keep infants away from the cute and cuddly creatures
Coyotes are not all bad. They help cull the feral cat population.
I saw this on local tv station last night.
I have seen cow-birds fly up to customers as they were leaving the grocery store, and grab food right out of their hands and fly off. Usually it was a donut or a cookie. But,coyotes taking bags of food?
It is very rare for a coyote to get that close to a human.
“They are varmints.”
Amen. Coyote season in TN is 365 days/year.
A coyote came through our back yard two nights ago, which happens fairly frequently. We always alert the neighbors because they have young children, small dogs and cats. We also have two fisher-cats in the yard. Not too many squirrels seem to be around lately.
There were some cases in Austin,TX. where coyotes were coming into establihed neighborhoods and snatching people’s pets right off their leashes. They apparently lost all fear of humans.
This was during a pretty severe drought and development had shrunk their habitat.
I wasn’t aware of the coyote habitat range spanning from the West to back East.
They don’t go in our backyard anymore, but we hear them howling occasionally. No they aren’t pets, and they’re scrawny and fugly looking.
We leave out the shot up Feral Hog carcasses for them to clean up.
>>We leave out the shot up Feral Hog carcasses for them to clean up.<<
Javelina? It is against the law to even injure one of those critters in AZ~.
That brought an evil smile to my fugly face! Could we rename that dumb TV show... "Fugly Betty?" (seems fair to me)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.