First of its kind coyote study coming after recent sightings
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Coyote sightings are on the rise in Charlotte and two have been trapped
in uptown.
Officials will follow the coyotes movements and learn more about
their eating and living habits.
Coyote pups born in the spring are old enough to venture out
on their own.
4 comments:
EXCELLENT! Hopefully they'll do some DNA tests to see if these coyotes may in fact also be "coywolves"--DNA tests as far south as Virginia have confirmed this, and I assume the spread of coywolf genes didn't stop there! Also a likely addition of "Red Wolf" from both western and eastern N. C., where release programs for Red wolves have taken place. Of course I'm particularly interested in this study, since I reside in N. C., and am only a coupla hours' drive north of Charlotte!......L.B.
LB.............canis soup continues to spread north, south, east and west............no doubt some eastern wolf in the coyotes down your way
....Though I've mentioned it before on this blog(I believe), I personally believe some of the wolf genes in the coywolf "soup" may very likely also be from escaped/released wolves people have kept for pets over the decades--I personally know of several in the past that escaped their owners(never to be seen again, or survived wild for a significant amount of time before shot, etc.), or were allowed to come and go as they pleased--this in isolated areas with few or no people or livestock for miles, but plenty of native game(where I used to live in the Southern Appalachians). I'd be very surprised if such wolves(and no doubt far more of these occurences than just I know about!), during mating season in midwinter(the same as coyotes in the area) didn't occasionally cross with said coyotes! Although this view is not popular with those who only want to believe this "new wolf" of the east is a completely natural phenomenon, uninfluenced by humans--except it IS occurring BECAUSE of human influences, no matter how you look at it! I'm not a purist regarding the evolvement or return of large predators-howsomever it happens, I'm all for it! Like the survival of escaped/released captive cougars influencing the Florida panther populations, and likely will (or HAVE!) some influence and success on the return of cougars in the east!....L.B.
however it happens, let the coyotes, wolves, pumas, bears, wolverines, fishers, martens, et al return across the USA
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