Animal expert not surprised by coyote problem in Memphis
Posted: Feb 23, 2011 6:06 PM PST Updated: Feb 23, 2011 8:48 PM PST
Click image to enlargeBy Anna Marie Hartman
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Coyotes have been terrorizing Mid-South pets for months with few getting caught.
Chad Belding is an expert on the coyote, the planet's most adaptable predator. He was not surprised to learn about a recurring coyote problem in Memphis.
Belding said Midtown resident should not let their guard down just because one coyote was captured last December.
"There's a lot of coyotes around from what we've been seeing," he said.
Belding has a show called "The Foul Life" on the Sportsman Channel. He came to Memphis to film an episode of his newest TV hunting show.
On "Dead Dog Walkin'," which premieres next month, Belding and his crew lure coyotes out into the open and shoot to kill.
"We don't hunt coyotes because we're mad at them," said Belding. "We don't hunt coyotes because we're trying to get rid of them, they do need to be controlled."
Belding said there was a good explanation for why the coyotes are present in Overton Park, a spot frequent for coyote sightings.
"In a park like this, I don't think it would be any problem at all for a coyote to survive," said Belding. "You've got garbage cans around here. Trash being dropped. Squirrels everywhere, rabbits everywhere. It's got everything a coyote needs to survive."
Belding said coyotes are intruding on populated areas because people have intruded on their land.
"We live in a country that used to be all animals," said Belding. "They're not just going to quit living here because we built a mall here."
Belding promotes controlling the coyote population to protect other animals. He said no other animals prey on the coyote.
"They're everywhere," he said. "They need to be controlled."
Massachusetts Coyote Biologist Jon Way responding to Ms. Hartman's news story ahartman@wmctv.com.
Ms. Hartman:
Hello,
I must explain my frustration with your newscast on coyotes in Tennessee... A > person that kills animals for a living is certainly not an expert in coyotes > and the fact that he discusses the need to control coyotes for the betterment of > all really disturbs me.
There should have been multiple viewpoints on the > program as there are many, many benefits of having these animals around and his > extreme attitude of needing to kill him to prevent problems is baseless.
There are many flaws with the story. First, attempting to coexist with wild > animals by changing the way that we interact with these animals is far more > important to long-term solutions than killing them. It is frustrating for me to > see this person speak his mind and not balance it with other viewpoints, > especially from a humane point of view.
There is no factual basis that killing > coyotes will prevent any future problem if we don't do things like leave cats > inside and not feed wild animals.Plus, having predators on the landscape is healthy at many levels beyond human populations. Often, other wildlife (such as songbirds) do better because of thepresence of predators like coyotes.
There are many accurate ways to obtain information on coyotes including my
> website below, as well as projectcoyote.org, a nationwide group attempting to
> foster coexistence between people and wildlife/coyotes alike.> Thanks for your time,
> Jonathan Way
> Please visit my WEBPAGE (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/) where you can
> purchase my book Suburban Howls
> (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/Store.html) and help create a wildlife
> watching refuge in the town of Barnstable
> (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/supportECR.html)
>
Chad Belding is an expert on the coyote, the planet's most adaptable predator. He was not surprised to learn about a recurring coyote problem in Memphis.
Belding said Midtown resident should not let their guard down just because one coyote was captured last December.
"There's a lot of coyotes around from what we've been seeing," he said.
Belding has a show called "The Foul Life" on the Sportsman Channel. He came to Memphis to film an episode of his newest TV hunting show.
On "Dead Dog Walkin'," which premieres next month, Belding and his crew lure coyotes out into the open and shoot to kill.
"We don't hunt coyotes because we're mad at them," said Belding. "We don't hunt coyotes because we're trying to get rid of them, they do need to be controlled."
Belding said there was a good explanation for why the coyotes are present in Overton Park, a spot frequent for coyote sightings.
"In a park like this, I don't think it would be any problem at all for a coyote to survive," said Belding. "You've got garbage cans around here. Trash being dropped. Squirrels everywhere, rabbits everywhere. It's got everything a coyote needs to survive."
Belding said coyotes are intruding on populated areas because people have intruded on their land.
"We live in a country that used to be all animals," said Belding. "They're not just going to quit living here because we built a mall here."
Belding promotes controlling the coyote population to protect other animals. He said no other animals prey on the coyote.
"They're everywhere," he said. "They need to be controlled."
Massachusetts Coyote Biologist Jon Way responding to Ms. Hartman's news story ahartman@wmctv.com.
Ms. Hartman:
Hello,
I must explain my frustration with your newscast on coyotes in Tennessee... A > person that kills animals for a living is certainly not an expert in coyotes > and the fact that he discusses the need to control coyotes for the betterment of > all really disturbs me.
There should have been multiple viewpoints on the > program as there are many, many benefits of having these animals around and his > extreme attitude of needing to kill him to prevent problems is baseless.
There are many flaws with the story. First, attempting to coexist with wild > animals by changing the way that we interact with these animals is far more > important to long-term solutions than killing them. It is frustrating for me to > see this person speak his mind and not balance it with other viewpoints, > especially from a humane point of view.
There is no factual basis that killing > coyotes will prevent any future problem if we don't do things like leave cats > inside and not feed wild animals.Plus, having predators on the landscape is healthy at many levels beyond human populations. Often, other wildlife (such as songbirds) do better because of thepresence of predators like coyotes.
There are many accurate ways to obtain information on coyotes including my
> website below, as well as projectcoyote.org, a nationwide group attempting to
> foster coexistence between people and wildlife/coyotes alike.> Thanks for your time,
> Jonathan Way
> Please visit my WEBPAGE (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/) where you can
> purchase my book Suburban Howls
> (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/Store.html) and help create a wildlife
> watching refuge in the town of Barnstable
> (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/supportECR.html)
>
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