Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
LuxembearsHi Sue Ann.
I was wondering what ever happened to the cyote that was visiting your yard? Did he find a new home? Do you have any new visiters? I know if I were an animal, I would come to your house. You're so kind to every animal. 
Past Time BearsThanks much for checking, Judi. I did stop putting out food and, sure enough, he stopped coming around. I don't know what became of him . . . he was so skinny and starved looking. I wanted to take care of him, yet I really DID NOT want him to make a meal of one of my cats! I just decided which animals I wanted to take care of more - my own. We're having a severe draught in these parts and I don't know how any of the local wildlife are surviving. <sigh>
Baird'sBears
We've had coyotes in our local park for as long as I can remember.
There was no problem until a few years back, when some kind people began feeding a pair of them.
They lost their fear of people, and began attacking small dogs--including my Jack Russell Dana, until my Lucy chased them off!! They started hanging around the leash-free areas, lying in the tall grass until a small dog came by.
They'd also approach dog-walkers. I had to shoo them away several times. A friend of mine was walking her puppy one day, when the coyotes approached. She thought they were just offleash dogs, but then one actually took her puppy's head in its mouth and started to drag the poor mite away. My friend screamed bloody murder, of course, and the coyote let go and ran away.
I think it was only a matter of time before these coyotes attacked a child.
After many dogwalkers complained, the park officials stopped pretending it wasn't really a problem, and the coyotes disappeared. They won't talk about it, so I have no idea what they did.
Newcastle, OntarioEileen,
I don't understand why people insist on feeding wild animals. They are not doing them any favours, but they just don't get it. I'm sure we can both figure out what happened to the coyotes and that's a shame, as everything has it's place in the chain of life. Unfortunately, free food by humans definitely changes things, often dramatically, and endangers other animals as well as the ones being fed. Too bad, isn't it.
hugs,
Brenda
Baird'sBears It really is too bad, Brenda!
I'm sure these people thought they were doing the right thing, and this particular pair of coyotes was sleek--much better looking than most of the scrawny wild ones I've seen.
But you're right. There is a balance--or was. The coyotes and foxes used to feed on the rodents that hung around the small zoo in High Park. The rodents were attracted by the feed, naturally. The park is usually full of squirrels and chipmunks and raccoons and opposums. There are plenty of geese and ducks, some that winter over. After the coyotes increased, there were no more foxes for several years. They're just coming back.
Some Idiot Old-Biddy Committee in the park administration decided that we need to restore the original oak savanna that grew there in the mid-1800s. Unfortunately, the oaks don't want to grow there, because of all the changed conditions. So the park admin. sprays herbicides on anything that might challenge the oaks, and this does nothing but destroy the little critters that live among the lower vegetation. Not to mention a lot of beautiful wildflowers.
Complaining and reasoning do no good whatever.
Fortunately, everytime they've sprayed this season, we've had a heavy rain immediately after!! Mother Nature, I guess, protecting her own! 
Flying Fur StudiosI hear you guys!
We have problems with Cyotes as well. People feeding them and causing lots of problems. They also hide in the off leash areas and snag dogs.
I have a 5lb pomeranian and I was walking him one day when a very nice man stopped me to say that 3 months ago, he had a little pom just like mine. He was walking the dog and his 3 kids when a cyote in MID DAY came out and grabbed the dog and killed him in front of everyone.
I put my dog on a leash right after that. It's too bad. It's hard not to help and feel wild animals, but it sure can mess things up.
Posts: 8,574I'm with you Renae....
There has to be a balance. I also live in the country and have nearly all my life. This is why my cats live indoors and the dog sleeps indoors-and no one is allowed to roam....not even the naughty gollies.
But I don't feed the wild animals, although I surely did want to feed the fox, although he wasn't hungry I just wanted him to come back. sigh.
I don't want to upset the balance , any more than my being here already does.
Say, Ricky saw a bobcat the other day on his hike. He said it was the biggest one he had ever seen....he assured me the big guy wasn't hungry. But it was the first time seeing one gave him pause, and made him think carefully about his next step.
We figure we get to share the forest with them....opperative word being share.....We don't feed, but during hunting season we always seem to have a lot of Bambi's friends visiting....because we also don't hunt or allow it here.
Baird'sBears
Oooh I love bats--we see them swooping on summer nights, but never get close enough unless one of the cats catches one
I think the situation would be very different in the country. I envy all you country girls!
It's all too true that we've stolen the animals' habitat, though the raccoons and squirrels and skunks seem to enjoy living among people!! Toronto is full of ravines that can't be built on, so we still have a fair share of wild critters.
Renae, you've solved a mystery! I strongly suspect that the coyote pair in my park might have been coydogs. They were certainly bigger and sleeker than the wild coyotes I see in the winter chasing rabbits etc.--these wild ones are very shy of people.
