While animal rights activists push to make predator hunting more difficult, coyote attacks are on the rise in Irvine California, and other locations in the state. This past Wednesday evening (October 14, 2015), was the latest in the brazen attacks by coyotes that are obviously showing no fear when it comes to humans, when they bit a man and his young son. While working in his garage, the man was working in his garage when the coyote bit the toddler in his right knee. The boy then jumped onto his father’s back and the animal bit the 40-year-old man in the right side of his buttocks. “All of a sudden his son jumped on his back. He thought his son was just playing and when he got up, he realized his son was bit by a coyote,” said Orange County Fire Authority Captain Steve Concialdi.
This past year, the California Fish and Game Commission, has gone against the recommendations of biologists and voted to stop commercial trapping of bobcats. They are also poised to protect coyotes by removing them from the “non-game” animal list, to an animal that will have set seasons, possible limits and maybe even tags! This ridiculous move is due to pressures brought on by anti-hunting groups that wish to save the coyote. Regardless of the fact that coyotes are on the list of least concern (population numbers), these groups rely more on sensationalized emotion, then facts.
Ironically, while groups like Project Coyote are pushing for these protections, coyote attacks in California are on the rise, with some neighborhoods in Orange County starting Facebook pages in order to discuss their fears and warn other neighbors about encounters. Since May, coyotes have attacked six people in Irvine, which have been mostly children. “We’ve seen an alarming increase in abnormal coyote behavior. We’ve never seen this before,” said Farrah Emami, a spokesperson with Irvine Police.
We hope that no one else gets “stalked” and attacked by a coyote, especially children who are easier targets and whose cries mimic the sounds of prey animals. However, we believe that if the Fish and Game Commission votes to add more hurdles to slow down the legal hunting of coyotes, then they (and the State of California) should be held responsible for future coyote attacks.
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