This is really interesting about how the coyotes controls its own population. How valid is another matter but it is also promising and supports the coyote becoming our climax predator in human inhabited lands.
At best the coyote is a low threat to people. That is not so with wolves, or cougars which both need careful watching and actual containment. They also control the population of other carnivores as well and that includes dogs.
Their presence in Vancouver means few wild rabbits or cats or raccoons. All these quickly become a nuisance unless controlled. All at one time or another threatened just that. Even our pigeons appear to have succumbed to urbanized eagles and falcons.
The coyote population will collapse with the return of the wolf as the climax predator. Thus we really have a choice and wolf control is vastly easier anyway and we need a busy climax predator that we can generally live with.
Coyotes and the ‘Kill It’ Fallacy
Daniel Dowling, Contributor
http://www.wakingtimes.com/2015/04/11/coyotes-and-the-kill-it-fallacy/
There has swept over this a nation an egregious “kill it” fallacy. If
it doesn’t work for our immediate interests… Kill it. If it conflicts
with our desires, however myopic they may be…Kill it. If it threatens us
in any way… Kill it- it’ll disappear!. This mindset is a fallacy
because problems don’t just disappear. No matter how forcefully we try
to stamp them out, they will spring back in different avenues and with
different faces to help us learn our lesson. Our perception of a lesson
is what makes a problem, and not the thing itself.
It is not so strange that such an erroneous thought train has
hijacked reason in this county. The US is renowned for occupying and
stamping out any threat to its agenda. The precedent has been set that
killing is okay when you attach a purpose to it, no matter how farcical
that is. Promoting peace with bombs is the height of such moral
relativism in the kingdom of men and women. In the animal kingdom,
however, the paragon of the “kill it” paradigm lies in the unmitigated
extermination of the legendary.
Philosophers, leaders, theologians and mystics have looked to nature
for truth and wisdom since time immemorial. Socrates, Gandhi, Thoreau,
St. Francis, and many other important historical figures have taught us
to look to nature for our lessons. Entire groups of people have all
conveyed the same message, and none more so than Native Americans. The
original inhabitants of this land were keen observers of the lessons in
nature, and because of this, the coyote was
highly revered. Determination, cunning, resilience and balance in nature
were some of the key virtues that our ancestors embraced in the coyote. The coyote
held a special place on the animal totem that denoted sanctity and
reverence. Fast forward to today: These sacred creatures are now
‘legally’ killed in droves by people who have lost respect for life.
Coyote killing contests (CKCs) have swept all parts of this country where reason has fled. Distinct from hunting, which is driven by a need to sustain, CKCs are fueled by abject lust: Lust for money, power, thrill and status. Incentives for the highest kill rate can range from weaponry to outdoors equipment, and from hundred to tens of thousands of dollars in prizes. Propagandists for CKCs belligerently claim that their activities support the ranchers and farmers who own livestock, but this noble claim quickly loses legitimacy in the light of scientific inquiry. In total, fewer than five percent of ranching losses are attributed to predation. Rather than trapping and killing, there are many more effective measures of reducing losses; increasing herd density and grazing management being key among them.
At face value, killing coyotes would seem a fair prophylactic measure against cattle loss, but nature isn’t face value. Nature is a palimpsest of intricately and intelligently adapted systems, one on top of the other, to form the body of our planet. Coyotes are among the most intelligent aspects of this body. Much like the mythical hydra, coyotes spring back with a vengeance when force is taken against them. Noted biologist Bruce Gill has extensively researched coyote replacement in the wild, and has yielded some impressive data. When coyotes are diminished in a population, there begins a massive and effective replacement initiative that is three tiered. 1- Coyotes begin mating earlier and earlier to rebuild their numbers. 2-The frequency of their litters will increase. And 3- The litter size increases. All of this reproduction is contingent upon the amount of food available, and the more coyotes are killed, the more abundant food will be.
Unlike deer and other prey animals, coyotes’ compensatory
reproduction allow for them to efficiently adapt to their surroundings
and control their own numbers; no human intervention required. Their
infallible compensatory mechanisms ensure that no amount of killing
short of total extermination will make any impact on cattle or other
animal losses, and this was clearly seen in an initiative taken by the
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. From 2000 to 2003, 1,200 coyotes
were trapped, poisoned or shot by the wildlife department in order to
preserve the deer population. After 3 years, the program was dropped
because of complete ineffectuality; there was no evidence that the
killing increased fauna survival.
Coyotes’ profound adaptability and resiliency
are indicators of their importance in our ecology, and not an excuse to
kill without remorse. The culture of death regards killing as a sport,
but this is something that we cannot pass on to our children. If we
propagate the message that money is more sacred then life, then all of
the goodness that our culture transmits will be sold out. If fruitless
CKCs become standard in our culture, then lust will replace respect, and
callowness will subvert courage. To pass on a legacy of reverence and
interconnectedness with the wild is the best that we can can do, so it
is incumbent upon us to do so by taking action. We deserve better. Our planet deserves better.
>Visit Project Coyote today, and be part
of an activist community that makes a positive impact on all life. Learn
more and discover our connection with coyotes and other graceful predators at- http://www.projectcoyote.org
Daniel is professional freelance writer and marketer. He
is also an activist in healing the hearts and minds of men, women, and
the environment. Find him on Facebook, here.
Sources:
This article is offered under Creative Commons license.
It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is
included and all links remain intact.
No comments:
Post a Comment