Editor:
With respect to Sarah Vatnsdal's letter regarding coyotes, (Coast Reporter, June 25) she is indeed correct in asserting that the coyote problem is the direct result of human encroachment on its habitat. And one can only speculate as to the degree to which this problem is being exacerbated by the ongoing clearcut logging on the Sunshine Coast which, though it may be taking place where it can't be seen, is certainly exposed by the plethora of loaded logging trucks travelling our highway on a daily basis.
However, I'm a bit concerned that someone may have an unpleasant experience with a coyote due to some misleading information. Contrary to her assertion that coyotes rarely come out during the day, I have seen at least one coyote during the day almost every day for weeks or months. And I don't mean catching a glimpse as they dart into the woods. I mean sauntering down the middle of the road and taking its sweet time to get off when a vehicle or pedestrian is approaching. Just as with bears, coyotes that are used to humans lose their fear of humans - to a great extent if not entirely.
Eight or 10 years ago an acquaintance in Jasper left his baby in a fenced yard (with a small gap between the bottom and the ground) for a moment, in broad daylight, while he ran inside to answer the phone. He ran outside when his baby started crying to see a coyote trying to drag it away. Recently two coyotes killed a woman jogging in the woods in Eastern Canada, and there's been another attack since then. Please be careful about assuming that a coyote will run away if you "jump" at it, especially if it's not alone.
George Kosinski
Gibsons
