I’m used to the occasional coyote sighting here in Colorado. I don’t even see them as often as I imagined I would when I moved out from Virginia, and thus still consider it a rather rare event. When I do, I almost always have a passing thought about their safety, and mentally wish them well in their endeavors. Would I invite them into my house for a sit-down and a scritch? No. But there are plenty of suburban bunnies to go around and they are welcome to them.
I’ve even gotten used to the local peeps in online threads *freaking out* over a coyote sighting. Many people seem to get scared and aggressive-to-the-coyote about it even though it’s we who have invaded the land and pushed their natural habitat aside so that they have to adapt and become suburban dwellers alongside the humans. Some of those same freak-out-when-they-see-one people are also outspoken against wildlife management tactics that might help control the coyote population so humans don’t get their feelers in a knot. Can’t have it both ways, people.
Anyhoot, I guess that I am a bit surprised there are so many URBAN coyotes, too. (Did you read that as urban cowboy? That’s what I heard in my head as I typed it.) Check out the link below showing sightings in the Chicago area, last updated 2016 it appears. It in turn has a link, also below for convenience, to a 2014 Nat Geo write up about the trend along with some critter cam footage. Also below, a link about urban coyotes from a team who helps scientists with photographed and video documentation.
Go coyotes, adapt and overcome.
- http://coyotemap.com/
- https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/11/141121-coyotes-animals-science-chicago-cities-urban-nation/
- https://urbancoyoteinitiative.com/10-fascinating-facts-about-urban-coyotes/