Coyotes Are Here to Stay
Here’s What You Need to Know to Live With Them If you’re an early-morning walker, you may see one slink past on its way home after a night of hunting. Yes, that slim, quick, medium-sized canine disappearing into the dawn was probably a coyote, canis latrans (“barking dog”). Coyotes, known in the Americas for millenia, were so named by the Aztec; the Southwestern Indians often told tales of “the trickster,” as they found the wily canine very smart. In 1804, Lewis and Clark “discovered” the coyote. Lewis called it a “prairie wolf,” though he was perplexed because it was “neither wolf nor fox.” “Coyotes are very smart, and they’re not going anywhere“ said Brice Philippi, an information officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). “They’re not considered native, but they’re naturalized, and they’re in all 67 (Florida) counties.”
FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
By Nano Riley
They’re Everywhere Most folks think of coyotes howling at the moon, or chasing the elusive roadrunner, but they really live everywhere – even in New York City. Once they roamed the Southwest and central plains, but they’ve expanded their territory to include all states except Hawaii.
They’re opportunistic, so they live in areas with cover: Golf courses are ideal, as are nature parks and other wooded areas, such as Boyd Hill or Sawgrass Lake. Recently, a pair made a den amidst a solar farm in a San Francisco park, sunning themselves on the solar panels while raising a litter of pups below.
Are They Dangerous? If you read the neighborhood social site Nextdoor, you’ve probably seen the alerts advising neighbors to lock up small pets and children after a coyote sighting. These posts generate a torrent of comments, from live-and-let-live animal lovers
GULF BEACHES LAW, P. A. Karen S. Keaton, Esquire ESTATE PLANNING
ELDER LAW
PROBATE
CORPORATE
www.Gulf B eachesLaw.com
Your Trusted Local Attorney! Karen S. Keaton, Esquire
Estate Planning including Trusts, Wills, Health Care Directives, and Powers of Attorney, Trust & Probate Estate Administration, Elder Law including Medicaid & Special Needs Trusts, Corporate & Business Planning
We are available for phone consultations! 2816 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport, FL 33707 • (727) 822-2200
6
Daily SpecialS
local gooDS incluDing JamS, HoneyS & SalSaS Deli SubS maDe to orDer HourS: mon-Sat 11a-6p & Sun noon-4p
1418 58tH Street S. 727.873.3478
theGabber.com | May 20, 2021 - May 26, 2021
