January 6, 2006, - 8:16 am
Coyote Ugly: Take That, PETA . . . & Laura Ingraham
By
PETA (or as we call it, PUTA–People for the Unethical Treatment of Animals & humans) just got put in their place by Stan Gehrt. Same for the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Environmental Liberation Front (ELF)–both designated terrorist groups.
Gehrt–an Ohio State University wildlife extension specialist, biologist, and professor–just completed a six-year study showing that not only do coyotes adapt to urban settings (the study was in Chicago), but they also live longer than their rural counterpart. A coyote living in urban Chicago has a 60-percent chance of surviving for one year, while a rural coyote has a 30 percent chance of living for another year.
Hmmmm . . . doesn’t exactly jibe with the shrieking claims of PUTA and ALF that we humans and our “urban sprawl” are hurting the animals.
Ditto for “conservative” Laura Ingraham. That’s right. On September 6, 2001, Ingraham wrote an absurd op-ed in USA Today, “Scariest Animal Wears Pants,” which could have been written by the most militant PUTA, ALF, or ELF activist. She excoriated humans for building shopping malls, golf courses, and ski slopes–saying it drives animals out, and it’s our fault when they attack. Because I’m sure she’s never shopped, golfed, or gone skiing.
The complete scoop on the coyotes-in-the-Windy-City study is here. A summary of the findings of research, as reported by UPI:
Coyotes are thriving in some of the largest U.S. cities, despite scientists’ belief that these mammals intently avoid urban human populations.
Stanley Gehrt, an assistant professor of environmental and natural resources at Ohio State University, has been studying coyote behavior in Chicago for six years.
Gehrt and his colleagues have found that urban coyote populations are much larger than expected; that they live longer than their rural cousins in these environments; and that they are more active at nighttime than coyotes living in rural areas.
Coyotes also do some good, helping control rapidly growing populations of Canada geese throughout North America.
“We couldn’t find an area in Chicago where there weren’t coyotes,” Gehrt said. “They’ve learned to exploit all parts of their landscape.”
Since the beginning of the study, the researchers have caught and tagged more than 200 coyotes. They estimate that there may be somewhere between several hundred and 2,000 coyotes in Chicago.
Some of the animals live in city parks, while others live among apartment and commercial buildings and in industrial parks.
Tags: activist, Canada, Chicago, ELF, Golf, Laura Ingraham, Laura Ingraham Wrong, North America, Ohio State University, professor of environmental and natural resources, skiing, Stan Gehrt Proves Animal, Stan Gehrt Proves Animal Rights, Stanley Gehrt, United States, UPI, USA Today
My neighborhood has plenty of coyotes. Among other things, they eat our cats.
I’m really disappointed in Laura Ingraham for writing that article. Her position is elitist. I guess because she has her malls, neighborhood and ski resorts, that’s enough. The rest of us be damned if we want to live, shop and ski in nice places.
I tell you, if I find a coyote going after one of my pets or one of the neighborhood children, I will shoot it without a single regret. I’ll be the “scariest animal” in a dress.
Sue Bob on January 6, 2006 at 9:18 am