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Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
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Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
Saturday Thanks Don't End At Thanksgiving Photo: November 28, 2009
It was two years ago that we first took notice of D.C.'s new population of coyotes. Back then we worried about the threat of an international incident as the animals made their way to Embassy Row. Today the Post confirms that coyotes continue to roam the edges of Rock Creek Park, bringing them in much closer contact to city residents.
This is one case of animal/human cohabitation that can't be blamed on urban development pushing native species out. Scientist say they're not sure if coyotes inhabited this area before Europeans arrived. Eastern coyotes, which are typically twice the size of their western brothers, have also adapted, and indeed thrived, with urban expansion. The omnivores' population has grown as its food sources have multiplied. Coyotes eat garbage, small deer, rodents and even family pets. A spokesman from the Maryland Department of Natural resources told the Post, "They're highly adaptive, and they're efficient, and what they learn is that it's much easier to take a suburban small pet . . . as opposed to having to run down a wild cottontail rabbit." The decline of wolves and foxes, who, unlike coyotes, are driven out by development,
also creates a less competitive hunting ground for animals that stick around.
It's not just the fear of a late-night schnauzer snatching that's got District residents worried. Coyotes have begun roaming neighborhoods near Rock Creek Park and waking residents with their wild howling. Similar noises can be heard in Maryland and Virginia suburbs. If you find yourself in close proximity to a coyote, there are a couple proven methods to send it on its way. It's best to make yourself seem "as large and threatening as possible" by waving your arms and legs, making eye contact, shouting in a low voice or even throwing rocks and sticks in the animal's direction. Most coyotes will flee back to the relative safety of a wooded area.
While it's not clear whether D.C.'s coyote population is growing, experts say they are becoming bolder and city-dwellers should try to avoid direct contact with the predators. Have you had a close encounter of the coyote kind? Know of any howling hotspots?
Photo by Flickr user grundlepuck.
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Given the rat infestation in my alley, do you think I could convince them to come out of the park and into Mt. P?
Seriously, I grew up in Tx with coyotes. They're not a big deal. They don't like people. Your pets should be inside anyway. There's absolutely nothing to be "worried" about.
We have had the occasional coyote appearance in my neighborhood just inside the Beltway in VA for a couple of years now. What with the foxes and all, my cats are not allowed the free rein they previously enjoyed.
I live in Alexandria in a cul de sac neighborhood. My house backs to woods and we have our share of wildlife, however,no coyotes. But we do see fox and despite having a fenced yard lined with wire, my bichone frise does not go out without my two large dogs. He's been on the "buddy system" ever since I saw a fox our first winter here, 6 months after we moved in. In fact, I just shot some pics of a fox in my front yard, scavenging nibbles of bird food and suet beneath a feeder. In day light, there he was just grabbing a bite!
And, seemingly, a fox camps out on my front porch at night as evidenced by the scat I find the next day. I think it's looking to catch a rat or chipmunk which may be lurking in tunnels.
Interestingly, both red foxes and wild turkeys seem also to be doing well in inner suburban areas. Pretty cool, eh? Oh, yeah, Lock Up Your Pets!
Sounds like DC needs to re-introduce the coyote's natural enemy, the anvil, back into the wild.
From Wiki:
Researchers studied coyote populations in Chicago over a six-year period (2000–2006), proposing that coyotes have adapted well to living in densely populated urban environments while avoiding contact with humans. They found, among other things, that urban coyotes tend to live longer than their rural counterparts, kill rodents and small pets, and live anywhere from parks to industrial areas. The researchers estimate that there are up to 2,000 coyotes living in Chicagoland and that this circumstance may well apply to many other urban landscapes in North America.[3] In Washington DC's Rock Creek Park, coyotes den and raise their young, and scavenge roadkill and rodents. "I don't see it as a bad thing for a park," the assigned National Park Service biologist told a reporter for Smithsonian Magazine (March 2006). "I see it as good for keeping animal populations in control, like the squirrels and the mice." As a testament to the coyote's habitat adaptability, a coyote (known as "Hal") was even captured in Manhattan's Central Park in March 2006 after being chased by city wildlife officials for two days.
In 1981 in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, a 3 year old girl was killed by a coyote. This remains the only known fatality of a human as a result of a coyote attack.
BrodyV, if you rtfa, you see that eastern coyotes are twice as large as the western ones. And in fact, a coyote tried to eat a toddler in Middletown New Jersey last week, so, actually, they kinda do present a threat. I'm glad they're in the park, myself, but people should be aware that they aren't lap dogs.
I've seen one running around Takoma Park early in the morning, which isn't surprising given the proximity to Sligo Creek.