Editor,
My wife likes open doors and open windows. It’s our favorite thing about Laguna Beach. We sleep with our French doors open even when it’s 45 degrees outside. That’s what she likes. Open windows; open doors. At least up until Monday night at 7:45 when a coyote came into our bedroom and took off with one of our three Chihuahuas.
I heard the dogs barking profusely, their standard behavior when a guest comes to visit. I got up to go see who was at the door just in time to see the coyote racing out of our home with our sweet Eloise in his mouth, shrieking for all she was worth. It was a sight and a sound I will not soon forget.
Of utmost concern is that we had our infant granddaughter sleeping in our bedroom at the time. The animal could just as easily have taken her instead. It makes me hope something can be done about this problem before something like that happens, not after. For those who doubt that coyotes attack humans, Google it; 160 attacks have been documented, 35 in southern California in the last few years.
So now what do we do? We have a coyote that knows two more easy pickings are waiting at our house. I now have a sense of being watched. One turn of the back, one door left absent-mindedly open, and we will be down to one dog, or far worse, with regards to my grandchild. We are prisoners in our own home. We have been violated. A coyote has been inside my house.
I know there are those who side with the coyotes. They are wild animals that have as much of a right to be here as we do. I understand that. However, when the safety of my family is involved, they are no more coyotes that do what they do, but thieves who kill by natural instinct. In their natural habitat, that is entirely acceptable behavior. Here in town, that is a recipe for disaster.
We have a problem. Something must be done. Coyotes should not be here. Their natural behavior is a danger to our pets, our children, and our neighborhood. They need to be removed. Preferably not euthanized, but caught and taken back to where their behavior is appropriate. We were not made to cohabit.
Meanwhile, we are all closed up in Laguna Beach.
John Fischer, Laguna Beach
I’m sorry for you loss. But, thank you for expressing, so well, the common-sense that is lacking in the concept of “coyote co-existence.” It defies rational thinking that we are expected to live in fear of predatory wildlife around our homes. I can’t even let my dog outside on a leash in my own yard. Until the coyotes start chipping in for the mortgage, my yard is not their land. Where I live (SC) is not even their natural habitat. I moved here before they did. Also there is a 300,000 park twenty miles away. Yet, I am afraid to let them get a peek at my small dog as they aggressively stalk animals they’ve detected. People have coyotes relentlessly circling their houses, hoping their cat or dog will get into the kill zone.
If it were dogs that committed these acts, they’d be located and immediately euthanized. If a human snatched your dog out of your home, he’d be pursued and put in jail. But coyotes are above the law. They have such high status, people are afraid to complain about the restrictions on their behavior dictated by coyote coexistent community policies. If the NPS has maintained for many years the policy of keeping a distance between humans, pets, and wildlife that might maul them – why do municipalities feel the need to pretend this concept can be disregarded? Again, it appears the rights of the coyote are paramount and pet murder is an acceptable loss to appease them. I wish more people would question the “co-existence” plans, starting with the cornerstone of most of them, hazing. Expecting every individual to aggressively and effectively haze coyotes is patently ridiculous. That will never happen. And – the coyote isn’t afraid of hazing – they are afraid of consequences associated with hazing. In the past an angry human was associated with getting shot at, letting the dogs loose, etc. But in the absence of any associated real danger, most coyotes quickly figure out hazing is just a meaningless human activity. UC research has shown that is doesn’t work.
Aggressive coyote behavior is occurring on unprecedented levels due to a change in the coyotes’ perception – correctly – that now they are in charge and can do whatever they want. They’ve learned they are the alphas and will exploit every opportunity without fear of consequence. It’s long past time for people to fight their municipality’s coyote-friendly policies. The rights of tax paying citizens and their pets need to be the priority.
Sorry about your dog being taken. You could simply add security bar doors and still let the air in. Anything could walk right in with plain open doors like that. Skunks, raccoons, snakes, or bad people. Not a very wise thing to do.
The thing is, its his property, he bought his home, he pays taxes and if he wants his doors open, he should be able to. Dangerous or not, his property, his doors. Many communities in California are having this same problem, the habituated wild predator coyote, who has no natural enemy in our communities and knows it.. They are eating machines and they are rapidly reproducing and as they move from street to street, neighborhood to neighborhood, city to city, they are killing many many family pets. Pets who are loved and should not have to die that way. And when the pets are all eaten, then what? Is a child or an adult next. Something needs to be done and now. They need to be removed so people can once again enjoy their home, anyway they like it.
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Did you realize that California’s Fish and Game Commission took action one year ago that bans efforts to control coyote overpopulation? Do the people on this commission even know about California’s coyote overpopulation problem?
See this link to learn what I’m talking about:
http://www.politifactoid.com/2014-12-05_coyotes.htm
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State law says you cannot relocate coyotes, but you can kill them on your property.
I lost two cats in the last couple of years because we have a male and female pair that have our neighborhood as their territory for at least the last five years. Our street has lost numerous cats and some small dogs have been attacked.
So far the city is not interested in addressing this problem.