How does one write a whole book about these seldom seen but often heard creatures? One way is to delve deep into the history and native folklore surrounding them, and then incorporate the development of pastoralism and domestication of herds of sheep and cattle and take the side of the coyote in the ensuing battle. That is how this New Mexico native goes about it. From poisoning by strychnine to paying a bounty for they’re pelts, (at one point bounties accounted for 75% of the budget of Montana) it should have been a clear victory, but they persist and in many places thrive, and continuously expand their range, even into cities like Chicago and New York.
As an early teen, I never thought of the consequences or rational for paying bounties- to us, it was simply a way of making money by shooting raccoons and submitting the tails to the township office. (The rationale was that raccoons were destructive to corn crops.)
From there, the author scans recent neuroscience which concludes that many animals do have a sense of morality and a theory of mind that puts them morally on a par with humans with an equal right to exist and thrive. The many wrongheaded programs of the numerous branches of the U.S. government in an effort to eradicate them failed because of their extreme adaptability. The many Acts of Congress, some designed to protect them, and others designed to eradicate them, are discussed in detail.
The chapter on genetic studies showing that they have long interbred with some species of wolves and even feral dogs, creating coywolves, left me confused.
My experience with coyotes is limited. Although we often hear their distinctive nocturnal howl, I have only seen them rarely. Once while walking in Kilally Woods in London, Ontario at dusk, I encountered a doe, perhaps 50 meters away, in labour! Thinking I would see a fawn born I the wild, I stood motionless as she grunted and stooped. Then the white tail rose and she was gone in a flash. Three seconds later a coyote ran right past me in pursuit. The doe must have caught his scent as the little devil (as I thought of him then) was just waiting for a delicious fawn.
Just this morning on my 5 a.m. walk I encountered two coyote pups meandering home to the den after a night on the town. Their den is somewhere in the dense brush beside the 417 Highway, where I have seen the adults disappear a number of times.
One glaring omission in this book is the natural lifespan of coyotes. On checking, it seems to be 5-8 years.
8.5/10.
Thanks, Andra
Thanks, Andra.
The Passionate Reader 