Coyote story part 5, now at bottom of articles about coyotes attacking children

The capture of a coyote possibly involved in the attacks on children near Rye, New York, has morphed into a story of social media and government transparency. The following article is included in the interests of an ongoing narrative that caught my attention. It is pleasant to reflect that not everyone wants the coyotes destroyed. The link above has a picture of the coyote captured.

After coyotes attacked children playing in yards, the Westchester suburb of Rye embarked on an aggressive program to patrol the area for more creatures. One male coyote was caught near the the location of the second attack last weekend, but the city did not disclose the capture. The Journal News reports that it "learned of the catch from the Facebook page of the trapper's company, Quality Pro Pest and Wildlife Services." One day, local government will realize that social media will force them to be transparent!

The News adds, "When first asked about the capture Friday afternoon, Rye Mayor Doug French referred a reporter to Police Commissioner William Connors. When pressed, French acknowledged the city had nabbed the animal July 31." Conners explained the lack of notice about the capture, "My understanding was that we were waiting to get a few more in that location." The News says that the coyote was euthanized because it was acting aggressive, but Quality Pro Pest and Wildlife Services said on Facebook, "well The Journal News Gets it all Wrong Again!!they said that I killed the Coyote. when in Fact I did not." Update: The News further explains that the coyote was euthanized, but at state direction.
The trapper, Jim Horton, did tell the News it was unclear whether this coyote attacked either of the two victims, who were both young girls, because no coyote DNA was taken from the girls after the attacks. He also discussed a trap-and-capture program in Rye Brook, saying that any coyotes captured will be relocated if they are healthy, "Me catching them and handling them and putting them in a cage and everything — that's just going to instill fear of humans into the coyote. So when we bring it up north and release it, it'll stay clear of people." 


Sept. 6, 2010 update on this story, kind of.

2 coyote attacks in 1 hour in NYC suburb; tot hurt

(AP) – 4 hours ago

RYE BROOK, N.Y. — A teen and a toddler have come face-to-face with a coyote in two separate incidents within about an hour in a New York City suburb. The toddler's father took her to get medical care, but the teen was unhurt.

Authorities say a coyote lunged at the teen boy shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday in Rye Brook. About an hour later, the 2-year-old girl was attacked near her home about two miles away.

In June, the town of Rye — about 3 miles from Rye Brook — had two coyote attacks within four days.

A 3-year-old girl playing in her backyard was jumped from behind by a coyote, and a 6-year-old girl was mauled by two coyotes.

After those attacks, authorities in Rye urged parents to keep their kids inside on summer evenings.

Rye Brook is about 30 miles northeast of Manhattan.

Information from: The Journal News, http://www.lohud.com

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


PART 5
Okay, here's another relevant link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/science/28coyotes.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1285693256-4oNWDPmPkqJvsR54WFy9gw&pagewanted=all


and relevant in this collection of articles about coyotes attacking children because it points out that there is DNA evudence now that what we call coyotes now have wolf and even pet dog DNA in their genetic make up. This might explain the change in behavior (to attacking people) although there are other reasons you could put forward for this----like the Times article points out how variable in prey selection the coyote is. And on this topic, the coyotes in Chicago have been observed not just eating Canada goose eggs (better than shooting the geese I think) but burying goose eggs when the hunters are full, so they can come back later. Which gives me an idea for a fairy tale, not about an ugly ducking, but a baby goose that manages to hatch, into a different world than the one its parents expected. But I am rambling. Read the Times article.