Humans need to adjust to coyotes

I have faith that the majority of people would choose education of the human population over euthanizing any segment of the animal population; coyotes in this case. Coyotes control other small animals that people find troublesome so you are only trading one problem for another.

Seeing the picture in the Daily Herald of the trapped, (therefore very injured) and horrified coyote, confronted by the trapper preparing for it's death was not anything I would want my children to see nor did I appreciate seeing it myself. This is an inhumane, misguided attempt to solve a problem created by human beings that has the potential to be managed by human beings through education.

To the person whose cat was killed by the coyote I have to ask them if it would be appropriate for the city to come in and kill your cat because its most recent dinner consisted of a baby rabbit, mouse, chipmunk, and bird ... all of which may have come from my yard or yours. I have had the unpleasant experience of hearing the cries of a chipmunk being caught by a cat right under my bedroom window in daylight hours. Is this any different from the coyote eating your cat?

As sad as it is for us to see animals killed naturally because of the food chain, this is a reality. I know many people who own cats, myself included, and none would ever think to let their cat out of the house. There are cars, skunks, raccoons and humans who will take aim at any creature, just for "sport." When you let your cat outside you are providing food for a coyote. It is a natural predator of small animals. The coyote is not bad or evil. Humans need to make the adjustment.

Cheryle Ruceis

Glen Ellyn