This summer a litter of coyotes was raised on a quarter section which is within the city limits of Red Deer. This quarter is farmed and presently half of it is used for grazing and the other half for hay production. The west side of the quarter has the Waskasoo creek running through it so there is a pleasant wooded ravine.
photo by Bertha Ford |
Most years there are a number of coyotes on this property and probably there were regular litters of coyotes raised. This summer a bike path was completed on the south side of the property so all of a sudden the secluded coyote den became rather public. Morning cyclists and walkers reported seeing the coyotes. The same thing occurred in the evening. People were thrilled to see coyote pups within 200 m. There was a chain link fence between the people and the coyotes. The coyotes became used to the fans.
Less than one km away is the Sunny Brook Farm Museum. Most summers the museum will add chickens or other small livestock to make their displays more attractive. This year they had a number of goats. A number of goats went missing. It doesn't take much of a guess to decide what happened to the goats. So the cute little coyotes were a nuisance and pest just a short distance away. Pretty intelligent animals.
Every spring in Edmonton there will be people who want coyote removed from the ravine or wherever they frequent due citified fears and worries. Of course as cities sprawl its more important than ever for people and animals to adjust to one another, and I believe we need to work a bit harder for varied critters survival in the big city. I personally get excited to see trickster coyote, though I have yet to see one in the ravine.
ReplyDeleteTess, coyotes are twice as smart as we think they are. They do well in the city with easy pickings from garbage...especially malls.
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