Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 The Seattle Times, July 4, 2007 COYOTES CHOW DOWN IN TOWN, by Danny Westneat On 26th Avenue, in Seattle's Central District, folks are used to the scourges of inner-city life. Drug dealing. Burglaries. Incessant condo construction. But the other day, someone showed up who shifted the moorings. It left residents buzzing: What kind of civilization are we living in? It began when Mary Maier was jarred awake by a cacophony from the crows. The ruckus drew her outside. There it stood, looking angular, rangy, foxlike. With a cat hanging from its mouth. Stunned, Maier chased the coyote up the block. It dropped the cat, then circled back. She could see it in the shadows, lurking, like an apparition in a bad Western movie. The cat was dead. Maier went inside, wondering what to do. Later, the coyote and the cat were gone. This is the center of a major U.S. city. Skyscrapers loom about a mile away. Yet it's now a hunting ground for wild coyotes, who lope past tapas bars and yoga studios in Madison Park to get there. Along 26th, heading north from Union, signs on telephone poles hint at the story. Buster, a tawny gray, missing since December. Roses, gone since February. Clarence, a tabby that vanished last month. Pam Leydon's cat was the one killed last week. She feeds a feral colony (after neutering them). There were once 15 cats. Now there are six. " I'm shocked, " Leydon said. " I had no idea. I guess this is like a coyote restaurant. " It's old hat how wildlife runs amok in the 'burbs. But have you noticed how Seattle has gone native lately? I live two miles from downtown. We seldom put our parrot outside now, since his cage was attacked by a peregrine falcon. We locked our cat flap after I came face to mask with a raccoon inside the house, on the stairs to our bedroom. Most days crows can be seen hassling bald eagles from our back deck. And now the city's gone coyote loco. There have been sightings in Montlake. Beacon Hill. In the Broadmoor gated community! Tim Quinn, a state biologist, says they're drawn into the city by a surprising lure. Us. Coyotes like to be around city slickers. We roll out a smorgasbord of snacks, such as cats. Plus we're total patsies. " You don't pose any threat to the coyotes, at all, in an urban setting, " Quinn said. " Nobody's going to persecute them " i.e., shoot them " as they might in rural areas like Eastern Washington. " It's fascinating the coyotes are learning this. They've figured out it pays to go into the densest parts of the city. " No one's sure what to do. Ironically, Mary Maier, who works for King County natural resources, has spent years advising rural landowners that it's they who should yield to the wildlife, not vice versa. " Now it's come to my front yard, " she said. " We either change our behavior substantially or our pets are toast. " Leydon, who saw one of the feral cats kill a squirrel the other day, is more live and let live. Or is it die and let die? " Cat eats squirrel, coyote eats cat, " she said. " It's the new cycle of life in the Central District. " Danny Westneat's column appears Wednesday and Sunday. Reach him at 206-464-2086 or dwestneat <dwestneat . Copyright ) 2007 The Seattle Times Company <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/general/copyright.html> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 >The Seattle Times, July 4, 2007 > >COYOTES CHOW DOWN IN TOWN, by Danny Westneat we've had them on and off here in san diego's north park, which is, uh, north of balboa park, but still quite urban. in fact, two coyotes were calling our backyard home for a couple weeks recently. we could sit and stare at each other from about 20 yards. wild, and fun to watch. they act just like dogs. blake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 when we lived in Vista (north county SD) the local coyotes were afraid of our geese.... which was good, since it meant our rescue chickens were safe then here in oakland, they often come out of the East bay hills.... saw em once er twice when i lived on 29th Street...just walking down the center of the road... i know they've recently been sited in SF's Golden Gate Park and Bernal Heights Blake Wilson Jul 5, 2007 11:59 AM Re: here doggy >The Seattle Times, July 4, 2007>>COYOTES CHOW DOWN IN TOWN, by Danny Westneatwe've had them on and off here in san diego's north park, which is, uh, north of balboa park, but still quite urban. in fact, two coyotes were calling our backyard home for a couple weeks recently. we could sit and stare at each other from about 20 yards. wild, and fun to watch. they act just like dogs.blake When I see the price that you pay I don't wanna grow up I don't ever want to be that way I don't wanna grow up Seems that folks turn into things that they never want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I have seen coyotes in remoter parts of the bay area, in the redwood forests, but from a distance. Here in barbarian suburbia, south of San Francisco, we've had some mountain lions coming down from the hills in drought years. People spot them and panic, even though no one has reported pets missing and no one has been harmed. The result is usually fatal for the mountain lion -- all the police cars blockade the neighborhood, and the local swat team is called in to shoot the napping mtn. lion out of a tree before all the children get out of school. It's happened 2 or 3 times in the past few years. Typically it seems to have been a curious adolescent male looking for his own territory, not hunting, just exploring. I've also seen city folk panic at the sight of geese! I was up in the redwoods at a hostel, with more or less domesticated geese. One day I was walking around the lake and saw a person picking up a big piece of wood to defend himself against a goose!! I was close enough that I could tell him the goose would not hurt him. At 11:59 AM -0700 7/5/07, Blake Wilson wrote: >>The Seattle Times, July 4, 2007 >> >>COYOTES CHOW DOWN IN TOWN, by Danny Westneat > >we've had them on and off here in san diego's north park, which is, >uh, north of balboa park, but still quite urban. in fact, two coyotes >were calling our backyard home for a couple weeks recently. we could >sit and stare at each other from about 20 yards. wild, and fun to >watch. they act just like dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 How big are mountain lions? I reckon I might be scared of them - not the geese though. Jo , yarrow wrote: > > I have seen coyotes in remoter parts of the bay area, in the redwood > forests, but from a distance. > > Here in barbarian suburbia, south of San Francisco, we've had some > mountain lions coming down from the hills in drought years. People > spot them and panic, even though no one has reported pets missing and > no one has been harmed. The result is usually fatal for the mountain > lion -- all the police cars blockade the neighborhood, and the local > swat team is called in to shoot the napping mtn. lion out of a tree > before all the children get out of school. It's happened 2 or 3 times > in the past few years. Typically it seems to have been a curious > adolescent male looking for his own territory, not hunting, just > exploring. > > I've also seen city folk panic at the sight of geese! I was up in the > redwoods at a hostel, with more or less domesticated geese. One day I > was walking around the lake and saw a person picking up a big piece > of wood to defend himself against a goose!! I was close enough that I > could tell him the goose would not hurt him. > > > At 11:59 AM -0700 7/5/07, Blake Wilson wrote: > >>The Seattle Times, July 4, 2007 > >> > >>COYOTES CHOW DOWN IN TOWN, by Danny Westneat > > > >we've had them on and off here in san diego's north park, which is, > >uh, north of balboa park, but still quite urban. in fact, two coyotes > >were calling our backyard home for a couple weeks recently. we could > >sit and stare at each other from about 20 yards. wild, and fun to > >watch. they act just like dogs. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 mountain lions (cougars, puma, screamers, et al) are about 8' long from nose to tip of tail, with males weighing i think about 150 lbs they are the largest of the "small cats".. heartwerk Jul 5, 2007 11:43 PM Re: here doggy How big are mountain lions? I reckon I might be scared of them - not the geese though.Jo , yarrow wrote:>> I have seen coyotes in remoter parts of the bay area, in the redwood > forests, but from a distance.> > Here in barbarian suburbia, south of San Francisco, we've had some > mountain lions coming down from the hills in drought years. People > spot them and panic, even though no one has reported pets missing and > no one has been harmed. The result is usually fatal for the mountain > lion -- all the police cars blockade the neighborhood, and the local > swat team is called in to shoot the napping mtn. lion out of a tree > before all the children get out of school. It's happened 2 or 3 times > in the past few years. Typically it seems to have been a curious > adolescent male looking for his own territory, not hunting, just > exploring.> > I've also seen city folk panic at the sight of geese! I was up in the > redwoods at a hostel, with more or less domesticated geese. One day I > was walking around the lake and saw a person picking up a big piece > of wood to defend himself against a goose!! I was close enough that I > could tell him the goose would not hurt him.> > > At 11:59 AM -0700 7/5/07, Blake Wilson wrote:> >>The Seattle Times, July 4, 2007> >>> >>COYOTES CHOW DOWN IN TOWN, by Danny Westneat> >> >we've had them on and off here in san diego's north park, which is,> >uh, north of balboa park, but still quite urban. in fact, two coyotes> >were calling our backyard home for a couple weeks recently. we could> >sit and stare at each other from about 20 yards. wild, and fun to> >watch. they act just like dogs.> When I see the price that you pay I don't wanna grow up I don't ever want to be that way I don't wanna grow up Seems that folks turn into things that they never want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007  Yep - I'd be scared! Jo - fraggle Friday, July 06, 2007 5:25 PM Re: Re: here doggy mountain lions (cougars, puma, screamers, et al) are about 8' long from nose to tip of tail, with males weighing i think about 150 lbs they are the largest of the "small cats".. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 i'd still like to see one in the wild tho... from a nice distance with our fur kids firmly under control only cat i've seen in the wild is a bobcat.... a number of years back (like, over a decade), we were coming back from a trip to colorado, and we went camping in the 4 corners region (where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah all met for you non-yanks)..out in the middle of nowhere...very remote..and the first morning when we woke up, there were moutain lion tracks in a arroyo 20' from our tent jo Jul 6, 2007 10:12 AM Re: Re: here doggy  Yep - I'd be scared! Jo - fraggle Friday, July 06, 2007 5:25 PM Re: Re: here doggy mountain lions (cougars, puma, screamers, et al) are about 8' long from nose to tip of tail, with males weighing i think about 150 lbs they are the largest of the "small cats".. When I see the price that you pay I don't wanna grow up I don't ever want to be that way I don't wanna grow up Seems that folks turn into things that they never want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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