Coyote Attacks Increase In Valley
People Say Animals Are Preying On Larger Livestock
POSTED: 7:46 pm MST November 18,
2009
UPDATED: 10:34 am MST November 19,
2009
PHOENIX -- People living in major Valley neighborhoods told CBS 5 News that coyotes have all but overtaken their neighborhoods, and they've gotten much more aggressive.Don Hoopes and his 7-year-old son Jordan have a new ritual every night. They need to make sure all their animals are tucked safely inside, now that they know what can happen if they don't.Hoopes said, "Last weekend our little goat, Kid, was taken, and he was a family pet."Hoopes isn't the only one.Neighbor Richard Tate said, "I saw (a coyote) yesterday morning trying to attack dogs in broad daylight."Tate's had a couple sheep slaughtered by coyotes already. He said they even tried to go after his ram.Tate said, "My concern is that if a 40-pound coyote will take on a 120-pound ram with a full set of horns, tell me what a 6- or 7-year-old that weighs 60 to 70-pounds is going to be like."Hoopes said there aren't a lot of options to take care of the problem."You can either pay a lot of money and have a professional come do it," he said.Tate said, "Of course, you can't use a firearm, you can't use a bow, you can't use a crossbow, you can't poison them. I guess you're supposed to run them down and strangle them."Until Hoopes has a solution he thinks will actually work, he'll keep locking up his livestock at night and keep Jordan and other neighborhood kids close by.If you notice coyotes hanging around your neighborhood, make sure to keep all pets inside or in enclosed areas, and if you see a pack while you're out, stay away.
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