When NIMBY applies to bears & coyotes

While New Jersey can seem crowded with cities, highways and industries, our state doesn’t lack for wild animals -- some of whom we receive occasional alerts about.

Bears and coyotes are the most recent subjects of alerts. We’re often reminded that NJ’s black bears are shy, preferring to avoid humans when possible, although human food is a different matter.  Some uninvited bears may have started out simply following their noses and foraging. (Think: bird feeders, open air pet food, loose trash lids, even some gardens. . . .)

Coyotes – does anyone outside of Western movies refer to them as “KI’-oats”? – are all around us, having staged a comeback in the East despite human density and deterrence efforts.  Their adaptability has made them quite cosmopolitan. And they howl – oh, do they howl.

Unsure what coyotes can sound like, I googled their howls, breezing past a warning about pets’ possible reactions. The YouTube rendition of a pack of communicating coyotes caused Harry and Billy Summers to hastily “vamoose” (keeping it Western). That canid family concert cost me numerous cat treats.

Interestingly, with both bears and coyotes, NJ residents are urged to look big and make a lot of noise. Jump up and down, wave your arms around and shout.  Right. With a bear bearing down on you.  Or a coyote, whether howling or not. This reaction strikes me as easier said (in the animal’s absence) than done. 

One other thing: when dealing with injured coyotes (or foxes, their fellow canids), don’t try to help them. Leave that to someone who knows how to interact with the animal and emerge unscathed. Contact area police, who in turn can reach out to an animal control officer or wildlife re-habber.

The link that follows came with the recent coyote alert we received. Use it for more coyote and fox info.  http://www.wildlifehotline.org/coyotesfoxes.html    

Help assure a veto override! 

                              Dodo pic

To most everyone’s chagrin and not many people’s surprise, Gov. Christie conditionally vetoed the puppy mill sales bill, S3041, which would have stopped the sale of dogs from the worst puppy mills in the nation. His “misguided decision demonstrates a disregard not only for the thousands of breeding dogs languishing in puppy mills across the nation but also for New Jersey consumers,” as HSUS put it in urging state legislators to override the veto. 

 This very good bill can still become law IF legislators act, but we need to urge them to do so.  Please phone your senator right now because the Senate override vote is scheduled for tomorrow, May 25.

 Talk about poetic justice  

What would you call it: sad?  fitting?  ironic?  deserved?  A South African big game hunter was killed by an elephant last week in Zimbabwe.

He was guiding paying tourist-hunters when some elephants charged, and he shot toward them. One elephant picked him up with his trunk, then another hunter fatally shot the elephant, who crushed the guide as he fell. 

Reactions ranged from satisfaction (by those who regard big game hunting as immoral) to sympathy (from other hunters). The man killed left a wife and children. The elephant killed – on his home ground -- left an extended family. 

                     PAWS pic

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/world/africa/elephant-theunis-botha.html?emc=edit_tnt_20170522&nlid=20760274&tntemail0=y

 Commenting made easier

Hearing from a few readers that it was tough to post comments here, we changed blog settings to eliminate the need to register. Now that “anyone” can comment, please do!