WE LOVE MAIL. SERIOUSLY. WRITE US.

RE: Letter(s) to the Editor

Dear Everyone that Called, Emailed, Messaged, or Commented,

Thank you, for your concern, your experience, your emotion, and your willingness to speak up for our community.

Our recent story (Facebook killed the Coyotes, Dec 17/Jan 18) sparked a debate. While there are numerous facts we could, and arguably should, have provided, our article was specifically a look at the use of social media to spread information, fear, truths and experiences, and warnings to the broader community.

When civilization abuts and pushes into local–and ancient–wilderness, we will have rising incidents of wildlife encounters. We have (many of us unawares) presented a virtual buffet to the sneaky and skilled “god’s dog” we call coyote. There is necessary and just emotion when we lose family–because pets are family.

It’s important to note that we did reach out to locals who claimed to have accurate numbers, who did not provide them. We reached out to Colorado Fish & Wildlife, spoke to Boulder County Public Health Environmental Health Division, to local wildlife rehabilitators, and to the USDA.

The facts remain, and we should hold tight to facts when emotions run high: there is no unusual coyote behavior, nothing unnatural or extraordinary about our local wildlife. We will have to learn to live with them, as they live with us. That, or we will convince our leaders to hunt them all down and create an ecological catastrophe.

We’ve begun trapping and euthanizing coyotes in Erie, until the aggressive coyotes are caught. The Northeast CO District Supervisor for USDA, Kendra Cross, told us there is a spike in Erie but that these spikes are cyclical. It’s not a coyote species problem, but a few aggressive coyotes. We would all do well to keep our wits about us.

Thank you, again, for sharing with us. I know I’ll hold my own puppy extra tight in the days to follow.

– Managing Editor, Yellow Scene Magazine