South Dakota's Message to Coyotes: Death by Snowmobile is Coming
by Pamela Black ·
South Dakota is working toward a law that will legalize the pursuit and hunt of coyotes by snowmobile. Just passed by the State Senate last Wednesday, SB 55 is now before the State House and a vote is expected any day. Instead of heeding warnings by scientists and government agencies — including South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department and the United States Department of Agriculture — the Senate gave in to fear raised by the livestock industry. The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association wants to give power to landowners to take matters into their own hands in the name of predator control.
This is coming from a state where the official animal is the coyote. Ironic that everything is being done to eradicate a state symbol.
While problem coyotes need to be dealt with, the addition of snowmobiles to an existing predator control program that uses aerial hunting to wipe out as many coyotes as possible will not solve the conflicts."We try to selectively remove coyotes," said Julie Young of the USDA, "and from the sounds of it, this wouldn't be selective, this would be any coyote that's seen from a snowmobile. Not using selective techniques just isn't as effective."
Here's why: The land has suitable habitat for coyotes. When you remove a coyote from a territory, another will move in to take its place. This is called the vacuum effect, resulting in a population increase rather than the expected drop in numbers.But not all coyotes cause a problem. If you remove a coyote simply because you fear it, you are giving other coyotes the chance to move in. The new one may become a problem, possibly preying on livestock. When it reproduces it will teach offspring where to obtain "easy" meals such as livestock or small pets.I don't know about you, but I know which coyote I would rather have living in my backyard.
Marc Bekoff of the University of Colorado has studied coyotes for decades and opposes SB 55. "Hunting coyotes with snowmobiles is reprehensible and will not work to control coyote populations, just as slaughtering them using poisons, snares, traps, and airplanes has not worked," he said. "They are simply too adaptable and cunning."
Exceptionally adaptable, for sure. Following the extermination of larger predators, coyotes expanded their range across the nation to fill the void. Even densely urban areas like downtown Los Angeles and Chicago are home to coyotes.
Not everyone believes that the only good coyote is a dead one. Scientists like Bekoff are trying to understand coyotes in order to help us live with them. At a symposium last fall, wildlife biologist Kevin Clarke of New York's Department of Environmental Conservation argued the main theme: "Coyotes are opportunistic and potentially dangerous animals, but we don't kill things just because we don't like them."Well said, Mr. Clarke.
Instead of indiscriminate killing of coyotes by any means, the situation has a realistic solution. Understandably, livestock ranchers want to protect their income. Compensation is an option, but management techniques will have to change so that livestock are not an easy target for predators. Wildlife agencies already have the authority to investigate and remove problem coyotes.
Tell South Dakota to vote against coyote hunting by snowmobiles. Coyotes are able to coexist with humans; it's time we do the same.
This is coming from a state where the official animal is the coyote. Ironic that everything is being done to eradicate a state symbol.
While problem coyotes need to be dealt with, the addition of snowmobiles to an existing predator control program that uses aerial hunting to wipe out as many coyotes as possible will not solve the conflicts."We try to selectively remove coyotes," said Julie Young of the USDA, "and from the sounds of it, this wouldn't be selective, this would be any coyote that's seen from a snowmobile. Not using selective techniques just isn't as effective."
Here's why: The land has suitable habitat for coyotes. When you remove a coyote from a territory, another will move in to take its place. This is called the vacuum effect, resulting in a population increase rather than the expected drop in numbers.But not all coyotes cause a problem. If you remove a coyote simply because you fear it, you are giving other coyotes the chance to move in. The new one may become a problem, possibly preying on livestock. When it reproduces it will teach offspring where to obtain "easy" meals such as livestock or small pets.I don't know about you, but I know which coyote I would rather have living in my backyard.
Marc Bekoff of the University of Colorado has studied coyotes for decades and opposes SB 55. "Hunting coyotes with snowmobiles is reprehensible and will not work to control coyote populations, just as slaughtering them using poisons, snares, traps, and airplanes has not worked," he said. "They are simply too adaptable and cunning."
Exceptionally adaptable, for sure. Following the extermination of larger predators, coyotes expanded their range across the nation to fill the void. Even densely urban areas like downtown Los Angeles and Chicago are home to coyotes.
Not everyone believes that the only good coyote is a dead one. Scientists like Bekoff are trying to understand coyotes in order to help us live with them. At a symposium last fall, wildlife biologist Kevin Clarke of New York's Department of Environmental Conservation argued the main theme: "Coyotes are opportunistic and potentially dangerous animals, but we don't kill things just because we don't like them."Well said, Mr. Clarke.
Instead of indiscriminate killing of coyotes by any means, the situation has a realistic solution. Understandably, livestock ranchers want to protect their income. Compensation is an option, but management techniques will have to change so that livestock are not an easy target for predators. Wildlife agencies already have the authority to investigate and remove problem coyotes.
Tell South Dakota to vote against coyote hunting by snowmobiles. Coyotes are able to coexist with humans; it's time we do the same.
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