Residents are howling at the wind

Regarding the article, “Resident wants coyotes out,” on Friday: It is

interesting that one fearful, selfish, self-important resident --

with a minority dissenting opinion -- should receive such

disproportionate representation in the Daily Pilot.

Most people -- especially those with any reasonable conception of

humankind’s interactions with our ecosystem -- are tolerant of, or

even pleasantly excited by, the presence of wildlife in their midst.

They are willing to forego some of their anthropocentric entitlements

to allow the spatial co-existence of wildlife and humans. They

recognize that these animals are beneficial to humans both directly,

by controlling mesopredators and preventing more zoonotic diseases

than they create, and indirectly in a spiritual context that bolsters

the human-ecosystem connection.

The relatively few people who are intolerant of wildlife seem to

lack this necessary connection. Perhaps they are more comfortable on

concrete than a mountain trail or more at home on a computer than

walking through Back Bay. Whatever the underlying cause, this small

segment of our population espouses a hubristic view of human

self-importance. They place the interests of their pets and

themselves ahead of those animals that, incidentally, inhabited this

landscape long before humans crested the evolutionary horizon.

To the minority of people who have not yet figured it out, I say:

Your way is not working. We all need to alter our behaviors to

accommodate nature in this human-influenced hostile landscape. It is

becoming difficult to listen to these fear-based, self-serving

justifications for defacing our planet and its inhabitants. It is no

longer just about you and yours: It is about eco-centric cooperation.

As a veterinarian, I do what is necessary to keep my cats and dog

safe while attempting to create an environment where other animals

can eke out their meager existences. And I am not even going to delve

into the reasons why someone’s child might be far enough from his or

her parents to be at risk of a coyote attack.

Coyotes are very adaptable. If we remove their access to food

sources we deem undesirable (i.e. pet food that attracts coyote prey,

cats and small dogs, children), they will find other sources of

sustenance presumably in other areas. If you continue to place your

wants above the needs of others, then your cats may become unwilling

prey. Given the knowledge you possess about coyote behavior, only

stubborn anthropocentric thinking or carelessness will place your pet

or child in harm’s way; and, only you can be held accountable for

this sad, but very preventable, scenario.

JAY B. LITVAK

Costa Mesa

The Daily Pilot’s Friday article, “Residents want coyotes out,”

about a Park Newport resident’s concern about coyotes being a danger

to our community made me think back to my childhood days here in

Newport Beach. In the days before Eastbluff was developed, the days

before Fashion Island was built, and the days when people actually

enjoyed the natural wildlife prevalent in the area.

There are people even today that enjoy the natural wildlife that

still exists, or what is left to exist in this still growing and

increasingly congested community of ours. I am one who respects,

enjoys, and appreciates how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful

resource as the Back Bay Ecological Reserve, and this includes the

coyotes.

But Claire Friend, a resident of Park Newport, almost lost her

beloved cat to a coyote. And Friend is concerned about the safety of

her neighbor’s children and pets due to the coyotes.

Friend lives bordering an ecological preserve, which must have

been one of the attractions for her moving to such a beautiful place

to begin with. Then she let’s her cat roam outside? This is

incredible that someone, who supposedly loves their pet,

intentionally puts her pet in danger. Oh come on, it’s not like

anyone, at anytime, is not aware of the wildlife, including the

coyotes, stepping off their designated preserve from time to time.

As a past resident of Big Canyon I was delighted to see coyotes,

deer, raccoons and other of nature’s creatures occasionally on the

golf course or in the brush. But maybe if I were like some other

residents I would have wanted these animals to be exterminated. How

about a deer hunt on the golf course? How about we trap the coyotes

in the Back Bay? And how about those migratory birds that poop on my

car? Can we get rid of them too? Oh heck, let’s just get rid of the

Back Bay and put up a parking lot.

Oh, I got to stop myself right here. Put up a parking lot? Forget

that. I got a better idea. Domesticated cats that are allowed to roam

free in nature or in a neighbor’s back yard at any hour of the day or

night are the problem, or should I say their owners who allow this

are the problem. Let’s get rid of them.

PAUL JAMES BALDWIN

Newport Beach