Falling Into a Trap on Coyotes

The commissioners of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Regulation have wisely decided to review the decision to ban the city’s trapping of coyotes.

The action six months ago caused an avalanche of misinformation and uninformed opinions about coyotes in the Santa Monica Mountains, which is not surprising since it was made without the proper gathering of facts.

My own research has convinced me that the city should discontinue the policy. I also am critical of the process by which the decision was made.

The department’s Board of Commissioners gave as its primary reasoning for enacting the policy that if the city continued to trap coyotes, it would be exposed to legal liability should it fail to destroy a coyote which then harmed someone.

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You may find this reasoning hard to believe, but I listened to the tapes of the meetings, and the commissioners said it over and over again.

They received their legal advice from the counsel for California Wildlife Defenders, which, as its name implies, opposes the trapping of coyotes. They never sought an opinion from the city attorney’s office and never received one. Mike Glekner, the assistant city attorney responsible for this area, said he was not contacted and implied that the opinion was suspect. I brought this to the attention of this newspaper, and it reported: “Legal experts say a misguided fear of lawsuits may have unduly influenced the city of Los Angeles’ decisions in June to stop trapping coyotes.”

There were two other flaws in the commissioners’ process. First, they did not consult the officers in the field who are responsible for dealing with both the residents of the community and the coyotes. These officers disagree with the decision, according to Lt. Richard Felosky, with whom I spoke.

Nor did the commissioners consult any recognized experts on coyotes. I asked Rita Hoisch, then president of the commission, if the group had consulted any wildlife biologists. She said it had, but could not name any. I asked if the group had consulted Fred Knowlton, a professor at Utah State University who is probably the preeminent expert on coyotes, having studied them for 30 years. She said no.

The commissioners made the decision moments prior to the expiration of their terms without collecting full information on the matter. They relied on a group of self-appointed experts who had no technical background to justify the reliance placed on them. They ignored figures from a one-year test period starting in May, 1992, showing that for every reduction of one coyote trapped compared with the previous period, two additional domestic animals were killed. And they recommended an inadequate education program to counterbalance this decision.

In the meantime, the so-called humane community has tried to paint the owners of domesticated pets as irresponsible. We are not. We pet owners are animal lovers and concerned about animal rights. We wish no harm to any animal. In fact, we believe that members of our families, namely our pets, are in danger of attack.

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The attacks can come from coyotes, mountain lions or other wild animals, but they come principally from coyotes. I personally lost a dog. It was in broad daylight, in a secured yard, fenced to the maximum limit. Coyotes can jump 8-foot fences and climb them as well. They are not only looking for food but are also attacking an animal that has invaded their turf.

The so-called humane community implies that we should have expected coyotes when we moved to the Santa Monicas. They ignore the numerous sightings of and attacks by coyotes north of Ventura Boulevard.

The commissioners have stopped the city’s trapping of coyotes. They cannot ban all trapping in the city because that authority resides with the state Department of Fish and Game.

We must protect our pets and care for them. We have the right to defend them against attack from other animals.

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All this, I believe, will be proved if this matter is given a full and fair hearing.

The meeting to review this decision has been set for Jan. 3 at 10 a.m., a most inconvenient time. Despite that, we need to show the commissioners our concern. They need to consult experts and solicit advice from all segments of the community. They need to consider humane methods to keep the coyotes from attacking our domesticated animals.

This city has an obligation to protect all the members of our families, including our pets. Let’s start by finding a safe, educated and sane solution for all, including the coyotes.