Saturday, April 15, 2017

M is for "mother nature's cleanup crew"

Coyotes have a bad reputation for stealing chickens and killing small pets. Is it deserved? Are coyotes intruding in space that humans have carved out for themselves? Should they be removed? Do we need coyotes in our environment?

Coyotes are an important part of the ecosystem, whether people like them or not. In Grand Island, there has been much discussion and debate about what to do about coyotes, including trapping on public lands. I don't think that trapping on public land is a good idea. I went to a presentation on coyotes on March 22nd and was requested to write an article about that presentation for the March 24th issue of the Island Dispatch. 


Lesley Sampson of Coyote Watch Canada
Lesley Sampson of Coyote Watch Canada was invited by the Citizens Coalition for Wildlife and the Animal Advocates of Western New York to give a presentation on how humans can co-exist with coyotes. Lesley provided a lot of information about the world of coyotes.  She also pointed out that Grand Island has a "beautiful community of wildlife."

Here are a few coyote facts:
Anyone interested was asked to
submit coyote artwork. Many did,
including a group of fifth graders. This
is my portrait of coyote.

  • coyotes are born blind, like puppies and kittens. Their eyes open when they are about ten days old. The mortality rate for coyote pups is high. If they survive, the pups are taught by their parents the skills that they need to function as coyotes. 
  • orphaned coyote pups cannot survive.
  • the gestation period for coyotes is 62 to 63 days. Coyotes are able to breed in their first year of life.
  • coyotes are pack animals. They live in stable family groups. Coyotes mate for life. Only the alpha pair mate and they produce somewhat small litters. Both coyote parents help to raise their young. The female feeds the babies and the male hunts for food.
  • coyotes are territorial. They maintain their territory and they protect it from coyotes that are not part of their family.
  • coyotes eat rodents, fruit, and insects. They will eat anything. They also eat ticks. They clean up carrion. "They do a great service. They are mother nature's cleanup crew. They are so in tune and connected with the land. We can learn a lot from them," Lesley said.
  • coyotes are "resilient, curious, and creative hunters and foragers. They are opportunistic omnivores and are adaptable, intelligent and resourceful."
  • Unfortunately, the reaction of human beings to coyotes is "fearful and lethal. We don't want them in the community; move them out."
To be continued. Check out "Predator Friendly farming" next week.

8 comments:

Lady In Read said...

Alice, did not know so many of the facts you mentioned here - totally cool..
I believe every creature has its place in our ecosystem, we might need to worry if a particular population starts dying out or suddenly increases in numbers but otherwise leave things be..

Pat Holloway said...

Thank you for writing this in honor of the coyote. Its very informative. I love your picture too.

Anonymous said...

Growing up in England I am used to seeing foxes. In fact foxes were always around all over the place.
The first time I saw a coyote here in the states, I did freak out. I thought it was a dog at first and was going to yell at the person who had let the dog run around our yard. Then I figured out it was a coyote, and I could not move from where I stood until it disappeared.

peppylady (Dora) said...

Coyote here is not popular aniamals...Usual if you say you saw a coyote they usual ask if you shot it.
I'm not anti hunting but every thing has a purpose. Now around here "White Tails" is our nuisance here.
Coffee is on

Madhumita Phukan said...

Awesome post..Very informative..Nice to know so detail about Coyote.

My M for ‘That Mysterious Lady’
LINK

Jenn said...

Coyotes are such cool creatures! Very informative!

lorig said...

Coyotes are usually considered a pest here. In many native myths the coyote is the trickster. However, I think we lose if the ecosystem becomes unbalanced. Coyotes serve a role and as such need a chance to do their job. Thank you for your post which taught me some things I did not know.

G said...

Wow!! I didn't know much about Coyotes, thanks for this wonderful article.
Name : Gayatri Gadre
Blog : Be young 4ever
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