Coyotes

Congratulations to the Glendale City Council, as rationality defeats hysteria over Glendale's Brockmont Drive coyotes (“Mayor seeks alternative option for coyotes,” Sept. 14). At least until the burned out house is demolished, the coyotes will not be trapped and “euthanized” (euphemism for killed). I am especially pleased to read Mayor Laura Friedman's comments advocating using other methods for dealing with non-aggressive coyotes besides thoughtlessly killing them. In my mind, the coyote is the icon for our treasured Verdugo Hills' de facto wilderness.

I am concerned how Glendale is managing the city's coyote population. I admit that coyotes are useful in controlling rodents, but they are doing more than this. They are hunting for pets, are harassing pedestrians and their pets, or are roaming in neighborhoods in packs and terrifying residents. If this trend continues, someone - most likely a child - will end up either being killed or seriously injured. Last time when a coyote killed a child in Glendale, the city trapped and killed 58 coyotes near where the child had died.

The Pasadena Humane Society will host two public meetings in Glendale next week to educate residents on how to coexist with urban coyotes, which for some have become a common and sometimes unsettling sight. Glendale has had its share of run-ins with coyotes, which caused a public ruckus last year after residents on Brockmont Drive said they saw a pack coming in and out of a vacant house and believed the animals were using it as a home base. That same year, a veterinary hospital blamed a coyote for the death of a white Maltese dog in Montrose.

Glendale Mayor Laura Friedman is calling on city officials to use the techniques of animal welfare groups when dealing with coyotes in the future rather than turning too hastily to traps. During the City Council meeting Tuesday, Friedman said several animal welfare organizations contacted the city after a media frenzy broke out earlier this week as Los Angeles County officials planned to catch a pack of coyotes that was roaming a North Glendale neighborhood and using a fire-gutted house as their base.

Animal control officials on Monday sought to ease concerns among Glendale residents unnerved by the prevalence of coyotes in their neighborhoods, saying the canines do play an important role in the local ecosystem and pose little threat to humans. At the first of two public meeting in Glendale - scheduled to address the increased call volume from residents to animal control officers regarding coyote sighting and conflicts - officials said taking simple measures, such as shoring up pet food and trash, can go a long way in discouraging any unwanted visits.

Judy Seckler VERDUGO MOUNTAINS -- When Bernice Brown first moved into her canyon home 34 years ago, the coyotes kept to their neck of the woods. In a recent letter, the homeowner told the News-Press that coyotes have now become a major predator in her neighborhood. "I live in fear on my own property," she wrote. On July 19 at 9 p.m., Brown's mini-dachshund and treasured family pet, Krissy, was mauled in the backyard. Brown dashed out to the back of the house with a bicycle horn after hearing frantic barking.

Gary Moskowitz Covered in fake blood, Pamelyn Ferdin stood in front of City Hall on Tuesday evening and shouted, "Hey Glendale, whaddya say? How many coyotes have you killed today?" Ferdin, a Santa Monica resident, was among seven people on the front steps of City Hall to protest the city's plans to increase its efforts to capture and euthanize coyotes. None of the protesters were from Glendale. In March, City Council members voted to spend $12,000 to increase local coyote trapping efforts.

Like it or not, we live in the midst of wildlife, even in Huntington Beach. Or wildlife lives in our midst. It depends on how you look at it. Some of us are thrilled by the wildlife around us, and some are not. Partly that depends on how you view wildlife, and partly it depends on how the wildlife is affecting you. For example, it's fun to see cute baby skunks parading behind mama skunk. But it isn't so nice to smell them. And it really isn't nice if your pet tangles with one and then comes into the house.

Following public outcry, L.A. County officials put the brakes on a plan to catch and kill a pack of resident coyotes in north Glendale, with officials saying they will wait to take action until a vacant home is demolished. County officials said the coyotes posed a threat to pets and small children and needed to be euthanized. The pack would not survive if relocated in the wild, officials said. But reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative, with county and city officials fielding calls opposing the plans.

The pack of coyotes that has moved into a vacant home in North Glendale will be euthanized once the animals are caught, a Los Angeles County official said Monday, adding that the focus “is on human life.” County officials will assess areas around Brockmont Drive this week to decide where to set traps to catch several roaming coyotes that neighbors say have taken up residence in a burned, hollowed-out home that has sat vacant since November....

I am concerned how Glendale is managing the city's coyote population. I admit that coyotes are useful in controlling rodents, but they are doing more than this. They are hunting for pets, are harassing pedestrians and their pets, or are roaming in neighborhoods in packs and terrifying residents. If this trend continues, someone - most likely a child - will end up either being killed or seriously injured. Last time when a coyote killed a child in Glendale, the city trapped and killed 58 coyotes near where the child had died.

Animal control officials on Monday sought to ease concerns among Glendale residents unnerved by the prevalence of coyotes in their neighborhoods, saying the canines do play an important role in the local ecosystem and pose little threat to humans. At the first of two public meeting in Glendale - scheduled to address the increased call volume from residents to animal control officers regarding coyote sighting and conflicts - officials said taking simple measures, such as shoring up pet food and trash, can go a long way in discouraging any unwanted visits.

The Pasadena Humane Society will host two public meetings in Glendale next week to educate residents on how to coexist with urban coyotes, which for some have become a common and sometimes unsettling sight. Glendale has had its share of run-ins with coyotes, which caused a public ruckus last year after residents on Brockmont Drive said they saw a pack coming in and out of a vacant house and believed the animals were using it as a home base. That same year, a veterinary hospital blamed a coyote for the death of a white Maltese dog in Montrose.

The fire-damaged house in North Glendale that became the flash point of controversy - a temporary home for a pack of coyotes - is finally coming down. A demolition crew was working at 318 Brockmont Drive Monday tearing down pieces of the house. The second story is now basically gone with only the chimney still standing. The city attorney's office has been working with owners Brett and Lisa van den Berg since May to get the fire-gutted house torn down. It was heavily damaged in a fire on Nov. 27, 2010 and has been an eyesore in the neighborhood ever since.

Regarding the letter to the editor from Robert Morrison in the Sunday issue (“Coyotes belong in these hills,” Sept. 25), I wonder if he would have the same point of view if a coyote or bobcat attacked his “Fluffy,” or his family? Showing such disdain for pet and property owners is disgusting. Glen Forsch Burbank

A white Maltese dog that was found dead Monday morning in Montrose was likely killed by a coyote, according to the staff at Rosemont Pet Hospital. The dog, Minnie, was reportedly found dead in the 2500 block of Community Avenue in Montrose. Attempts to reach the owners were unsuccessful. It's not uncommon for coyotes to attack small pets in urban areas. Maltese dogs typically weigh no more than 5 pounds. Officials suggest residents keep pet food indoors and secure trash cans to dissuade wildlife from moving in. Clearing brush and overgrowth can also make a neighborhood less desirable for coyotes, officials say. -- Jason Wells , Times Community News ALSO: Add bobcats to the list of brazen wildlife sightings Sierra Nevada red foxes are more common than once thought Cows versus trout in the Eastern Sierra

Congratulations to the Glendale City Council, as rationality defeats hysteria over Glendale's Brockmont Drive coyotes (“Mayor seeks alternative option for coyotes,” Sept. 14). At least until the burned out house is demolished, the coyotes will not be trapped and “euthanized” (euphemism for killed). I am especially pleased to read Mayor Laura Friedman's comments advocating using other methods for dealing with non-aggressive coyotes besides thoughtlessly killing them. In my mind, the coyote is the icon for our treasured Verdugo Hills' de facto wilderness.

La Cañada Flintridge residents welcomed a visit from yet another member of the animal kingdom last Sunday when a bobcat took a daytime stroll down Melinda Thompson and Bill Scherkey's front porch on the 1400 block of Flanders Road. With multiple sightings of coyotes and bears already having occurred this year, bobcats are just the latest critter to make their presence known. Glenn Houser of the 5000 block of Jarvis Avenue also encountered a bobcat on the morning of Aug. 9. Ricky Whitman of the Pasadena Humane Society said that bobcats are a common sight in foothill areas.

The brouhaha over a pack of coyotes and their impending demise this week after North Glendale residents complained of their presence to L.A. County officials brought an important lesson to the fore. In a city with several urban areas wedged up against wildland, there's bound to be turf wars between humans and wildlife. As the hubbub unfolded, what started as a plan to remove - by trapping and euthanasia - a pack of coyotes that have taken up residence at a vacant, fire-gutted home on Brockmont Drive turned into a public uproar among those believe that the response to wildlife in urban areas shouldn't be death.

Glendale Mayor Laura Friedman is calling on city officials to use the techniques of animal welfare groups when dealing with coyotes in the future rather than turning too hastily to traps. During the City Council meeting Tuesday, Friedman said several animal welfare organizations contacted the city after a media frenzy broke out earlier this week as Los Angeles County officials planned to catch a pack of coyotes that was roaming a North Glendale neighborhood and using a fire-gutted house as their base.