To the Editor:
Thank you for the article “Coyotes on the Rise in Fairfax County” (Connection, January 14-20, 2016).
The article performs a very useful public service by making the public aware of the presence of coyotes in our county. And, many of the police department's suggestions, such as keeping pets/trash inside and keeping watch over pets when they are outside, are quite valid and useful.
However, I am concerned that some of the police department's advice seems to imply that coyotes should be treated as unwelcome intruders when in fact they are simply animals who formerly inhabited our area and have now returned, in large part due to loss of their preferred habitat in surrounding areas. The coyotes should be recognized as a welcome part of the county's natural ecosystem. The police department's statement initially refers to the coyotes as "scavenging animals," then correctly notes that they are foragers who eat a wide variety of food. Not that there is anything wrong with scavengers in the first place - it's just a matter of "tone" that may cause some people to incorrectly think that coyotes are somehow intrinsically "bad."
The police department's advice in certain cases indicates that the county's citizens should somehow go on the defensive, cutting down all their shrubbery and installing elaborate fencing. Citizens need not be alarmed at the presence of coyotes - they have actually been around the county for quite a while. All that is really necessary is to follow the police department's provided suggestions regarding pets and trash, and we should have no problem living peacefully with coyotes.
It is unlikely that most people will ever see a coyote, at least in the daytime. If they do, the coyote will most likely make itself scarce as quickly as possible, just like our numerous local foxes. If someone is close enough to "spray the coyote with a water hose, water guns or spray bottles with vinegar water, pepper spray of bear repellent," then they are too close to the animal in the first place. They should just move quietly away from the animal, or admire it and respect it from inside their residence until it moves on. One important note: neither pepper spray nor bear repellent should ever be directed at any animal unless that animal is posing an immediate threat to a person; that is, if it is truly charging someone and is less than twenty yards away. These sprays are extremely painful for the animal, and also can injure the "sprayer" if the wind is coming towards them. It is clearly inhumane to use them just to discourage an animal from hanging around someone's yard.
Finally, we should recognize that coyotes can be valuable predators in helping to keep the deer population in check. This would be far more preferable and natural than the current practice of culling deer in our county parks through the archery program. One of the reasons certain wildlife populations may be out of balance is that we lack the natural predators that used to live here. Coyotes can help fill this void.
James Lingebach
Fairfax Station