Posted on 06/11/2007 6:54:40 PM PDT by george76
Five-year-old Brayden Gazette was crossing a neighbor's lawn near his Monmouth County home last month when a coyote burst out of the pine woods and bit him on the head.
Twenty-month-old Liam Sadler was in a relative's backyard in April when a coyote grabbed him by the neck and tried to drag him off.
The rare daylight coyote attacks on humans were interrupted before the yellow-eyed beasts could kill. Nevertheless, brazen coyotes have rattled residents across North Jersey's Monmouth and Bergen Counties, where scores of sightings have been reported and where numerous pets have been killed or mauled this spring.
In a state known as America's most densely populated, the eerie nighttime yip-howls and almost daily reports of sightings and attacks signal fresh strife in New Jersey's struggle with its wildlife.
Last year, authorities killed several bears that were marauding in urban areas. Persistent but unconfirmed reports of cougars and panthers continue to plague South Jersey residents.
"There is considerable community concern about coyotes," ... "We have 3,000 of them in all 21 counties of the state.
"The problem now may be a bold pack of coyotes that are ...seeing children as a possible source of food. We don't know."
Middletown Township Administrator Robert Czech said the township had begun to feel like it's "the Colorado of the East." ...
Capturing or killing them is the goal, Czech said. "This group of coyotes has decided it's going to go after young children because of their size.
"If they can't be contained, then I hope they terminate them."
Also, the number of bear-human encounters has risen steeply.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Saw two today, one this morning crossing road on way to work, another dead on expressway,
West Ga, Villa Rica/Six Flags area.
Were the coyotes rabid? Any wild animal that is acting strangely may be rabid.
The mexican coyote is worse.
Bears are no longer just going through the trash, they are breaking and entering. And coyotes are no longer contained to the wily domain of Saturday morning cartoons, they are trotting through suburban neighborhoods in increasing numbers.
A recent spate of black bear home invasions and attacks by coyotes and foxes on adults and children in the state of New Jersey sheds light on the growing nationwide problem...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,280492,00.html
There have been a lot more problems with coyotes in New Jersey, but the governor’s office and the DEP have kept a tight lid on the problems, just as it has been doing with bear and other wildlife problems...
If Gov. Jon S. Corzine and DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson think the coyote problem, like the bear problem, is going to go away because they tell people how to deal with their garbage, they are mistaken. The only answer to the coyote and bear problems is through controlled hunting.
http://www.nj.com/sports/times/index.ssf?/base/sports-4/118127562471410.xml&coll=5
Funny that New Jersey seems to have worse trouble than anywhere else.
We had a pack of coyotes up in our woods about five years ago, howling at the moon every night, but they never bothered any people or pets, and they moved on after a while.
The only problem we have in this part of Vermont is fisher cats, which have killed several of our neighbors’ cats, and mauled the dog next door a couple of months ago. They are pretty fierce for their size. We also have black bears passing through, but no trouble in this neighborhood, at least.
On the harmless side is a flock of about 25 wild turkeys, which spent the year before last in our woods before moving on to another feeding ground.
The governor and DEP commissioner are putting public safely at risk with their anti-hunting policies. By not using hunting as a tool to manage the state’s wildlife populations, they are allowing the state’s wildlife to get out of control. Had those attacks been by a bear — and sooner or later it will happen — both of those children could be dead.
Wish people would just relocate the critters rather than killing them. I live in Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley and saw a coyote outside my office last week. It was a shock because we aren’t close to the hills. But when it realized we were behind the window, it moved off. Poor thing, it really wanted the cat food that we put out for the ferals. He seemed really hungry.
Golf courses provide open spaces and small lakes. There are rabbits and quail and plenty of hiding spaces. Residents in the area also provide plump little dogs and cats for easy prey, especially this time of year, when coyotes are looking for food for their pups as well as themselves.
The one thing that has changed in the dynamic in the relationship between humans and coyotes more than anything else is that the animals have clearly figured out that people pose no threat.
“They are very comfortable now. Nobody does anything to them,” Julian said.
“The more often that coyotes are allowed in human proximity without negative consequences, they lose their fear.”
Residents of the Biltmore area have all noticed that the coyotes, which traditionally scamper away from human contact, no longer feel the need to run.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/0606Coyotes0606.html
I haven’t seen any Coyotes where I live in NJ but I’ve seen a roadrunner meep meep
We have a bear roaming our neighborhood. Coyotes have been here for a while.
We shoot the coyotes on sight.
the local state of New jersey problem is they won’t let you carry a gun for personal protection and you can’t hunt bear, deer, coyotes or ants.
>> Wish people would just relocate the critters rather than killing them.
HA ha ha hahahaha!
>> I live in Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley
OK, now I understand. You think they’re endangered... right? :-)
>> Poor thing, it really wanted the cat food that we put out for the ferals.
HA HA HA ha ha ha again. The “poor thing” doesn’t want the cat food, as much as it wants your CAT!!!!
City people do not understand wildlife.
Many think that bears, coyotes, lions...can be caught and then released in the woods. They do not realize that the woods are already full. The big adults have already kicked out the teenagers...who then show up in the cities and towns.
The predator populations will continue to dramatically expand and the city people will continue to never get it.
They’re pretty close to our place in Central NY, too. Saw one carrying something in its mouth a couple of weeks ago. We have a stream in back of the house on the marshland and geese and ducks land there. You can hear them screaming some nights and the coyotes barking. Brrr. Scary.
The coyote is one smart animal.
There are also dog / wolf mixes that are very big, strong, and fast.
Club ‘em over the head at the right time of year and you can get a nice pair of slippers out of ‘em. And sell the carcass to the local chinese joint to boot.
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