Javafour
New member
Boy, I must be doin' something wrong! I can't find hide nor hair of a 120 lb coyote in these parts! Gee, that's a big 'un, lol! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Maybe the reporterette needs to go back to journalism school and re-take the class: Fact Checking 101!
Neighbors finding an answer to coyote problem elusive
Community questions how to capture creature
By Marcia Ames
mames@patuxent.com
Posted 8/06/08
When Cinnamon Tree Court residents noticed a coyote roaming their Catonsville cul-de-sac last month, they wanted it removed.
But the means to that end has proved difficult, according to Patricia Aydlett, a resident of the street off Bloomsbury Avenue near the campus of The Children's Home.
Aydlett said she called Maryland's nuisance wildlife hot line for help in getting rid of the creature.
She was advised by hot line staff to hire a licensed animal trapper, then learned that, in Maryland, a trapper cannot simply remove the coyote, but must destroy it, she said.
Furthermore, the trapper would need government permission to capture the critter on state- or county-owned property such as the roadway.
Aydlett, not sure how to proceed, passed the information on to her neighbors and waited to see what they would do.
As of Aug. 1, the coyote remained.
The cost of hiring a trapper may account for the critter's continued presence.
"We are looking into who charges what," said Heather Keating, a Cinnamon Tree Court resident who considers the animal a threat to children in the neighborhood.
"It could pounce on top of my 2-year-old," she said, estimating the coyote's weight at 120 pounds.
"We are still trying to decide what to do," she said.
People answering the phone at two wildlife control companies contacted by the Times declined to comment for this story.
While callers to the state hot line may expect a hands-on response from the government, the demand for such service would quickly overwhelm state or county agencies, according to Glenn Therres, an associate director of the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service.
The state agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture co-sponsor a toll-free hot line for Marylanders wanting assistance with nuisance, injured or sick wildlife.
The number of calls annually in Maryland ranges from about 5,500 to more than 9,000, according to Scott Healy, USDA wildlife services supervisor for the Maryland, Delaware, Washington district.
Coyote sightings accounted for 251 calls last year, he said.
Some callers simply want help identifying animal tracks, while others want to get rid of the critters.
Often they are surprised to learn that, unlike the coyote, most wild animals native to Maryland are protected, even squirrels and poisonous snakes, Therres said.
But many of the calls simply reflect an urbanite's lack of common sense in dealing with ordinary animals, such as rabbits and squirrels, according to Therres.
For example, does anyone know how to deal with a squirrel in the living room?
Try opening a door or window so the creature can escape.
"That's common sense, but it's the kind of advice we give all the time," Therres said.
For information on dealing with wildlife, call 1-877-463-6497 or go to www.dnr.state.md.us.
Maybe the reporterette needs to go back to journalism school and re-take the class: Fact Checking 101!
Neighbors finding an answer to coyote problem elusive
Community questions how to capture creature
By Marcia Ames
mames@patuxent.com
Posted 8/06/08
When Cinnamon Tree Court residents noticed a coyote roaming their Catonsville cul-de-sac last month, they wanted it removed.
But the means to that end has proved difficult, according to Patricia Aydlett, a resident of the street off Bloomsbury Avenue near the campus of The Children's Home.
Aydlett said she called Maryland's nuisance wildlife hot line for help in getting rid of the creature.
She was advised by hot line staff to hire a licensed animal trapper, then learned that, in Maryland, a trapper cannot simply remove the coyote, but must destroy it, she said.
Furthermore, the trapper would need government permission to capture the critter on state- or county-owned property such as the roadway.
Aydlett, not sure how to proceed, passed the information on to her neighbors and waited to see what they would do.
As of Aug. 1, the coyote remained.
The cost of hiring a trapper may account for the critter's continued presence.
"We are looking into who charges what," said Heather Keating, a Cinnamon Tree Court resident who considers the animal a threat to children in the neighborhood.
"It could pounce on top of my 2-year-old," she said, estimating the coyote's weight at 120 pounds.
"We are still trying to decide what to do," she said.
People answering the phone at two wildlife control companies contacted by the Times declined to comment for this story.
While callers to the state hot line may expect a hands-on response from the government, the demand for such service would quickly overwhelm state or county agencies, according to Glenn Therres, an associate director of the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service.
The state agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture co-sponsor a toll-free hot line for Marylanders wanting assistance with nuisance, injured or sick wildlife.
The number of calls annually in Maryland ranges from about 5,500 to more than 9,000, according to Scott Healy, USDA wildlife services supervisor for the Maryland, Delaware, Washington district.
Coyote sightings accounted for 251 calls last year, he said.
Some callers simply want help identifying animal tracks, while others want to get rid of the critters.
Often they are surprised to learn that, unlike the coyote, most wild animals native to Maryland are protected, even squirrels and poisonous snakes, Therres said.
But many of the calls simply reflect an urbanite's lack of common sense in dealing with ordinary animals, such as rabbits and squirrels, according to Therres.
For example, does anyone know how to deal with a squirrel in the living room?
Try opening a door or window so the creature can escape.
"That's common sense, but it's the kind of advice we give all the time," Therres said.
For information on dealing with wildlife, call 1-877-463-6497 or go to www.dnr.state.md.us.
