Coyotes, people can coexist in peace

Can we agree that the coyotes were here long before suburbanites established their turf. Farmers nurtured a hatred for them because these “prairie wolves” preyed upon their commodities. Now the people in Barrington are fearing the onslaught of these very misunderstood canines upon their little pets and children.

The fact is 90 percent of a coyote’s diet is rodents. In all the 24 years I have worked outdoors as a naturalist-conservationist, I have never witnessed a terrifying encounter of coyotes with any human being. Residents in Barrington need to get their concerns in order to curb these deep-seated prejudices against coyotes. Most wildlife don’t want to have anything to do with us two-legged “critters.”

Ultimately, people who choose to live in rural areas expect to encounter wildlife of every kind. If they are skittish about this, and view with trepidation any animal more feral than their domesticated dog, they have two choices: they can move back to a more urban setting where crime and traffic jams take the place of imagined ominous wildlife, or they can make the effort to learn about nature in their area and come to understand the realities and beauty of coexisting with wildlife in this environment. As suburbanites in coyote country you might find such a journey humbling and ecologically enlightening.

Dennis Paige

Schaumburg