Editor,

There is an age-old tradition of killing coyotes as soon as one dares to enter your area.

Coyotes are predators and do what predators do — they hunt.

Coyotes in urban areas are there for food smells such as garbage and pet food left outside. They come into other areas for chickens, free-roaming cats, dogs and more.

Just as much as the majestic eagle is a predator, so is the coyote. Coyotes are opportunistic feeders. The easier the access, the more it will naturally entice the coyote.

Coyotes are an important part of the ecosystem. It takes little effort to drive them away from your area. A coyote can jump a six-foot fence. Putting rollers on top of the fence makes it harder for them to enter. Coyotes will try to dig under the fence.

Easily run a hot wire toward the bottom of the fence. Don’t chain your dogs outside. A chained dog will not have a fair chance against a coyote.

Keep your cat indoors, especially at night. If there are no trees around for the cat to climb, install a climbing post. The point is, it is unnecessary to kill a coyote. Coyotes are territorial and their offspring will move to other areas once weaned.

The Humane Society has great pdf pages with tips for keeping coyotes away. I like their hazing practice. Pretty good.

Kristi Huffman

Oak Harbor