“Coyote power: surviving by one’s intelligence and wits when others cannot; embracing existence in a mad, dancing, laughing, sympathetic expression of pure joy at evading the grimmest of fates; exulting in sheer aliveness; recognizing our shortcomings with rueful chagrin.”
Dan Flores, “Coyote America.”
Matthew Duncan, who grew up in Anaheim in the 60s, 70s & 80s (but now lives in Orange), has always loved and admired coyotes, and felt proud that his hometown had “always had a peaceful relationship with our Native Song Dogs.” Native Song Dogs? Yes, that is what Native Americans, the “First Nations,” call these admirable creatures.
That was until he discovered, last September, that Anaheim has for a few years been trapping and killing these Song Dogs – not just killing them, but killing them inhumanely in mobile CO2 GAS CHAMBERS, which is apparently the cheapest way to do it! Since finding that out, Matthew has been at every Council meeting speaking out against the practice. (And he’s not alone, PETA and other organizations have taken notice as well.)
Anaheim began trapping and killing coyotes this way in 2017. In the last two years Anaheim has trapped and killed 37 coyotes, during which time no bites have been reported. It’s rare for a coyote to bite a human; when they do it’s usually a coyote that’s been fed by a human, and later sees another human and gives a little nip, hoping to get fed by them. DO NOT FEED COYOTES!
SEAL BEACH went through this ten years ago, reacting to a rash of pet killings by hiring a gang of coyote killers called “Critter Busters” (now out of business) who “euthanized” four coyotes by gas chamber until the public became aware of this cruel and inhumane practice, and the protests began. The Laist told the story…
Seal Beach may be slowly coming to its senses about its ill-conceived idea to trap and kill the coyotes who feast on residents’ helpless pets.
In September, the city council approved a measure to trap and kill coyotes, despite scientists’ warnings that the plan wouldn’t actually make a dent in the coyote population and would probably only succeed in killing dumb, slow coyotes. The Gazette reports the city received 15,000 letters about the decision. But residents were fired up and ready to avenge 60 pet attacks, so the city went ahead and hired a company called Critter Busters to take care of their coyote problem, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But the city backtracked once word got out about how critters are busted: the company traps coyotes and asphyxiates them in a mobile gas chamber filled with carbon dioxide. Four coyotes were euthanized this way before there was an outcry. This method is cheaper than lethal injection but residents were none too pleased to hear about it.
Mike Levitt, a Seal Beach city councilman, told the Times, “When Critter Busters told us that it used gas to dispatch coyotes, I assumed it meant the animals were put to sleep. So I voted to approve the contract. I found out [afterward] that the animal does not go to sleep. There are spasms. They choke.”
The LAist, Dec. 2014.
Matthew, who was involved in the Seal Beach fight as well, tells of a well-known coyote nicknamed “Jefferson,” who would stroll across Seal Beach Boulevard at the exact right moment, the species’ quick evolution having taught him in the ways of traffic, and would then saunter, head held high, into the gates of the Naval Base where the guards would welcome him in with grins and waves, military intelligence having evolved to knowing that coyotes live on unwanted vermin.
“Okay, Anaheim, Seal Beach, that’s 2 cities out of 34 in Orange County, what do the others do?”
“I don’t know about all of them, but in Orange where I live now, they teach people to LIVE WITH coyotes. I remember a meeting where a lady complained about her cat being eaten, and a Councilman – I forget his name – responded ‘It’s not our responsibility to protect your pets from wildlife. That is YOUR responsibility.”
So now this trapping and gassing has taken hold in the City of Kindness, which you wouldn’t ever guess from the very publicity-conscious town’s “Living With Coyotes” page. THIRTY-SEVEN KILLED IN TWO YEARS, by asphyxiation in a gas chamber. SOUNDPROOFED so the trapper and any spectators don’t have to hear the poor beast’s cries and gasps. And with no evidence shown that ANY of these coyotes were “aggressive.” I’ll let Matthew Duncan finish this in his own words:
“Anaheim’s Living with Coyotes site states, ‘Anaheim has a professional trapper we use throughput the year to handle situations where overpopulation or coyotes being comfortable with people poses a high threat risk.’ I have not received a reply from City officials about the size of Anaheim’s coyote population. Because apparently nobody knows the population size. Citing overpopulation of wildlife is historically a common way to justify killing wildlife.
“Regarding the ‘comfortable with people’ claim: In my more than 50 years of observing coyotes, some in close proximity, I’ve seen coyotes who in the absence of human threat, will often appear to ignore humans. And this behavior goes against the old mindset that demands wildlife be submissive to humans. Anaheim’s Living with Coyotes site is not about living with coyotes. It is about killing coyotes.
“Anaheim’s Coyote Management Plan is inhumane because killing a coyote in a gas chamber causes prolonged distress and pain, which is why killing domestic dogs in a gas chamber is illegal in California. It is considered inhumane. And this is why the Plan never uses the words ‘kill’ or ‘gas chamber.’ Instead, the term ‘humane euthanasia’ is used as a way to sanitize the gassing of coyotes. Killing coyotes in a gas chamber is a bad look for the City.
“Lastly, the Plan is ineffective. California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists have long proclaimed that killing coyotes does not solve coyote problems. Why? Because coyotes aren’t the problem. The problem is attractants, which are often small, unattended outdoor pets. Coyotes are just a symptom of the problem. My family has long coexisted with coyotes throughout California, from Anaheim to Lake Tahoe. Common sense protection measures have resulted in my family losing no dogs, cats, or rabbits to coyotes or any other wildlife. Anaheim’s City Council seems unwilling to discuss this issue. I was a 27 year resident of Anaheim, but Council members have not responded to my voicemails or emails.
“I hope the City of Anaheim will return to being a city that has a peaceful relationship with our native song dogs. Kids growing up in Anaheim today would feel proud of that.”
Is the problem here the fact of killing coyotes or the means of killing coyotes? I’d agree that the method of killing them should be humane — guillotine? firing squad? — but as someone whose neighbor did have a small dog killed on our street I think that there’s a good case to be made that they don’t belong in the urban mix.
I do have a solution to propose, inspired by Texas Governor Greg Abbott: put them all in a bus and ship them to suburban Dallas.
I believe Palos Verdes has an immense peacock population. Sometimes you’ll see them on residential rooftops and in people’s yards. Tinker with them, and they’ll attack you.
I recently spent time in Kalispell, Montana. In and around town residents encounter bears. They make a mess of accessible trash bins and will indefinitely cause trouble if provoked or if the right edible opportunity arises.
Florida has gators roaming around town that have attacked and even killed people. In addition to domesticated animals like small dogs.
New York, Detroit, San Francisco, and numerous other cities have illegal immigrants that’ve attacked and killed people. People from Eritrea even sexually assault female children.
In Oklahoma, caribou damage vehicles, and cause an array of problems among residents.
Considering, your “good case to be made”, would you propose residents in the aforementioned places irradiate the peacocks, bears, the gator population, gas the illegals, and penalize the caribou?
Caribou in Oklahoma? Where exactly are these creatures?
But I do agree that Oklahoma should penalize these caribou.
That’s five minutes in the penalty box, ‘Boo!
Peacocks, bears, gators, unauthorized residents (you assbite), and caribou are not in the business of killing. OK, peacocks are in the business of pooping, but poop ain’t deadly. Coyotes seek out toddler-sized prey. One can’t just “live and let live.”
They do need food, sure, and I’m happy for them to get their fill of mice. Maybe they need someone to escort them around and keep them in line. Sounds like a job for you!
(But what of those poor, defenseless mice? Who cares for them?)
You support killing coyotes because they don’t belong in the urban mix? If so, how many should be killed?
I’ll be at the Anaheim City Council Meeting on Tuesday, March 19 at 5:00 and will speak during Public Comment. I’m willing to discuss this issue with you.
Mr. Duncan, please answer the question without asking your own.
I’ve got a big coyote problem (in Anaheim) and have invested lots of time and money keeping them out of the yard.
Is the issue humaneness, or is the issue getting rid of them at all. The “urban mix” is what has drawn these (pretty damn remarkable) creatures into the suburban sprawl – lots of food sources and no predators.
I won’t be at the meeting, and if you’re going to be a demagogue then I’m not interested in talking to you at all.
As sometimes happens, this is an issue with right and wrong on both sides. I do not hanker to kill coyotes, just as you presumably don’t hanker to see pets and small children killed at partially eaten by them. It would be nice if coyotes could just learn to not prey on those near and dear to us, but they can’t. So there will be some suboptimal solution.
Ideally, coyotes could be restricted into areas where “red in tooth and claw” would not mean that that red was coming from preschoolers and Pomeranians.
If it can’t be arranged, then I’d be on the side of the human and human-loved animals, and hopefully the coyotes will stay in places where they can have less sumptuous feasts of lizards and wild hares. You can’t accept that? Fine — but then I’m guessing that you either don’t have kids or don’t like them.
Speak your mind, Greg Diamond.
When one announces his support for killing native song dogs, me asking how many should be killed is a logical response.
Coyotes in your yard? What are the attractants?
The story above clearly describes why I oppose Anaheim’s Coyote Killing Plan.
The coyotes are all over the city.
where have you seen them? I have never seen one
In and around Willow Park. You may not be seeing them because they mostly hunt at night. But they have become much more bold.
I had one in my driveway in broad daylight.
Maybe Anaheim should be spending the money to clean up broken glass that is often all over the streets in west Anaheim that are from bottles obviously thrown in the street or near curbs Instead of trapping coyotes.
Anyway it has cost a lot of money for citizens to replace tires. People need to not feed coyotes, not leave dog food out, not leave small pets out alone and do what it takes to deter the coyote. That should work.
Broken glass never ate a toddler. But the financial (as opposed to theoretically karmic) cost of killing coyotes is probably minimal. And the two are not mutually exclusive.
When and where was this toddler incident?
Are you implying that a coyote ate a toddler in Anaheim? Because ironically, one month prior to the Coyote Killing Plan being approved in 2017, an Anaheim resident removed four coyote pups from their den and they were killed the next day. Nobody was bitten or eaten by the pups. They were killed based on their species, not their behavior. It’s speciesism, which is the most common form of oppression.
This kind of backward, cruel human behavior continues to be perpetuated in Anaheim’s Song Dog Killing Plan.
Why would I only be worried about Anaheim? The 37 serious attacks on children in California alone are “proof of concept.” And if a coyote can kill a 25-pound dog, why would it not attack a much more defenseless 25-pound human?
Woodland Hills. 12/2/2022
https://youtu.be/8ty6xrPRaeI
This coyote was being fed by workers at a nearby house that was being renovated. He was food conditioned, which is why he initially did not run away and why he returned. He was expecting to be fed. And news media failed to report these facts.
Feeding coyotes is a death sentence for them. A fed coyote is a dead coyote. Read the California Department of Fish & Wildlife brochure titled KEEP ME WILD Feeding Wildlife is Dead Wrong.
This story was really about humans unknowingly setting a coyote up to be killed, while also demonizing coyotes in the eyes of those who don’t know all of the facts.
It’s never the coyotes fault, right?
Look, mosquitoes don’t want to give us malaria out of animus. They’re just hungry and doing what comes naturally. And yet we kill them without compunction. Is that ok with you?
This blog is, in my opinion, more about California’s past & present wildlife persecution than it is about mosquitoes.
Early Euro “settlers” declared war on California’s native coyotes, gray wolves, grizzlies, jaguars, and wolverines, and only the coyotes survived. Coyotes live today in every city & town in California. But the war continues against song dogs in Anaheim, as the Anaheim City Council has apparently learned nothing from California’s ugly history of speciesism.
Are you new to the concept of analogies?
Presuming so, let’s move on to logic games.
A coyote literally attacked and killed one of neighbors’ small dog.
That small dog was about the same size as my then two-year old granddaughter.
I have seen coyotes on my front lawn.
Coyotes are faster than I am.
I don’t think it’s reasonable for me not to be able to have my granddaughter play on my front lawn because I’m not quick enough to intercede if a coyote attacked her.
If that’s speciesist and somehow puts me in a league with the destroyers of the grizzlies, I regret that, but not as much as I’d regret human lives to them.
You’re the Lorax of coyotes; I’d like to hear your proposed solution.
By the way, this is an Orange County blog, not just an Anaheim blog. I don’t live in Anaheim. And I wish you luck in dealing with the Council –because sometimes Rev. Cecil is just not enough of a pain in the ass on his own to give them the degree of aggravation that they deserve. Maybe you can bring in a coyote to testify.
Amen, Matthew!
I listen to you during Public Comments and support you 1000%. Coyotes need to be coyotes; they need to hunt on their own, and not be fed by homeowners. They do not deserve to be killed, rather, the residents who continue to allow their “pets’ to roam free at all hours of the night should be held accountable, not the coyote.
The 2s are up. Last I recall you don’t need a hunting license to kill coyotes.
Queue Red Hot Chili Peppers.
https://youtu.be/Zs72MvKh8qU
Anaheim’s Coyote Management Plan states the following: NO PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL IS ALLOWED TO DISCHARGE A FIREARM WITHIN THE CITY OF ANAHEIM.
Ball’s in your court, Neshanian. Swordplay?
I stand corrected. My recall was amiss. You can hunt coyote – a non game mammal – if you have a hunting license and a legal place to hunt. It’s always coyote hunting season in California.
When save the seals meets save the coyotes.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-23/seal-pups-kept-turning-up-beheaded-wildlife-cameras-finally-confirmed-the-predator
MATTHEW DUNCAN:
I am behind you 1000%
The problem is residents who allow their “pets” to roam free all night, fail to neuter them, causing multiple kitten births, while the rest of us suffer. In our parts, we do NOT call in coyote sightings; absolutely not! If it weren’t for the coyotes, we’d be riddled with rats, and you can confirm that with the City of Anaheim
It’s frustrating that more than 200 years after settlers declared war on the song dogs, they are still demonized and indiscriminately killed in backward attempts to “manage” their populations. I appreciate your support, Kathy.