I could not have said it better than Mutual of Omaha's WILD KINGDOM spokesperson, Mark Fowler,,,,,,, esteemed ecologist, Dr. Marc Bekoff,,,,,,,,,,,, and former President of THE EXPLORERS CLUB, Richard Wiese--------"LET THE COYOTES BE".............."We should appreciate the presence of coyotes and educate ourselves on how to coexist with them, rather than instilling fear of them"..................... "Let’s encourage the media to provide a more balanced view of coyotes (and other animals) based on what we know about them rather than irresponsible sensationalism(and fake news)"

http://www.westportnow.com/index.php?%2Fv3%2Fcomments%2Fletter_let_the_coyotes_be%2F

TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017

Letter: Let the Coyotes Be

To the Editor:

Nature and its wildlife are under siege.  We also are witnessing a new generation of children who regard the outdoors as “a place that doesn’t get Wi-Fi.”

At the time, this sounded amusing—-who leaves their two-year-olds alone anywhere, much less outdoors.When Richard moved to Fairfield County almost a decade ago, he was told by neighbors not to leave his young children outside at dusk because coyotes might eat them.

Eastern Coyote on Woodside Avenue, Weston Connecticut...
which is 45 miles northeast of New York City

Fast forward to the present. Not a day goes by where someone confesses that they are afraid to go outside because of the “coyote problem.” Worse yet, some are even arming themselves just in case.

There are many threats in our lives, but coyotes should rank far behind guns, alcohol, drugs, distracted drivers and even lawn mowers.

Yes, each year, 800 children are run over by riding mowers or small tractors, and more than 20,000 are injured.

The representation of animals especially carnivores in the media is based on bad science or no science, which is bad for the animals. What does the available data show? Coyotes very rarely attack. 

To put it in perspective, meteorites have hit more homes in Connecticut than people who have been killed by coyotes.

Research clearly shows that coyotes and other urban animals fear people.  Most animals don’t associate good things happening to them around humans. Whenever possible they avoid us at all costs.


Eastern Coyote in the Winter wonderland of Weston, Ct.

What should we fear? Or rather, be outraged by? On any given beautiful day, we have legions of children sitting on a couch hypnotized by their electronic devices. Digital crack. 

We fear that we are raising a generation of children who have “nature deficit disorder” and are totally removed from the outdoors.

Psychologist Susan Linn notes, “Time in green space is essential to children’s mental and physical health ... And the health of the planet depends on a generation of children who love and respect the natural world enough to protect it from abuse and degradation.”

We should appreciate the presence of coyotes and educate ourselves on how to coexist with them, rather than instilling fear of them.


Weston, Ct. Eastern Coyote navigating the streets

Let’s encourage the media to provide a more balanced view of coyotes (and other animals) based on what we know about them rather than irresponsible sensationalism.

And for goodness sake, get your kids outside, let them track mud into the house, have grass stains on their knees and be thoroughly exhausted from fresh air and sunshine.

We need to re-wild not only our children, but also ourselves before it’s too late.

Richard Wiese
President Emeritus The Explorers Club
Host & Executive Producer – “Born to Explore”
Weston, Connecticut

Jim Fowler
Spokesperson for the natural world
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
Darien,Connecticut

Dr. Marc Bekoff
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Colorado
Coyote Expert
Boulder, Colorado