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There are indeed coyotes in Griffith Park, and lately they've been letting their presence be known. Last week a man who was sleeping near the Travel Town area of the park" reported being attacked by a coyote," according to the LA Times. The man said he woke up "to find a coyote biting his foot," however "he was not seriously injured."
This is the second recent attack in Griffith Park, say wildlife officials, who were informed last week by Los Angeles County health authorities that "another person had been bitten in the park in late August." Details regarding either incident, for example why a man was asleep in the park at night, or under what circumstances the August bite occurred, have been scant.
However, as a result of the two incidents, the U.S. Department of Agriculture followed their protocol of trapping and killing coyotes once the animals were determined to be an "imminent threat" to park-goers' safety. Between Thursday and Sunday the dispatched agents were successful in "trapping and lethally shooting seven of the animals." Because no DNA sample was taken from either recent bite victims, however, the authorities can't confirm if any of the coyotes they exterminated were the predators in these cases.
But rather than feel safer, many park users are upset with the news of the killings: "Park visitors are angry with wildlife officials' decision to trap and shoot coyotes in the 4,210-acre mountain park," notes LA Now. And while one official says "It's been a while since we've had a bite here in Southern California," it's actually been just under a year since a jogger was bitten by a coyote in Griffith Park.
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I am all in favor of public safety. But don't these reports of attacks seem a little bit short of credible?
Do we know why they're killing them instead of releasing them somewhere else? Like in the Santa Monicas or further south (I would imagine the northern San Gabriels are probably not a great option right now).
Men "sleeping" near the travel town area of the park are usually passed out drunk or some such.
Save the coyotes!!
Hiking there three times a week, I've seen a lot of coyotes as the sun goes down and never have I felt threatened. This news really angers me. Homeless dude shouldn't be there at night anyway.
These animals are scared enough of humans as it is, no reason why to put them down. really messed up. Relocation would be more acceptable than just flat out killing any they catch.
not really a conservationist, but I see no reason to kill them. It's common sense, when you go into a wilderness area or a place such as Griffith Park, there will be wildlife, part of the reason why people go there. I say get used to it, and be prepared. You're encroaching on their territory understand the risks
coyotes are a part of life in la. if you're not yet, get used to it. i've seen them just a few feet from my bedroom window. it's really lame that we apparently have money to trap and kill coyotes but don't have money to keep all our parks open....amongst many other more important things.
If they bite people, they are no longer fearful of people. They have to be destroyed for the safety of everyone. They probably get this aggressive because of humans, human garbage left behind, and humans deliberately feeding the wildlife and treating them as if they are pets. This creates a bigger problem that always ends up bad for the coyotes.
Like, dude, like... when are humans going to be deemed 'imminent threat'? Seriously.
I agree with hallmonitor.
In general, you can't relocate wildlife. They either find their way back, or they are so traumatized in their new environment that they die anyway.
It's certainly not a humane way to treat an animal. The only benefit is that it makes us feel better about ourselves.
I prefer we leave the coyotes alone. If we have to do something, shooting them is better than relocating them.
I heard one hopped on stage and attacked a band playing at the Greek Theater.
rdm24-
"In general, you can't relocate wildlife. They either find their way back, or they are so traumatized in their new environment that they die anyway."
is this a generalization on your part or based on actual facts and research?
Killing coyotes to limit their numbers isn't very effective. They can adjust their pack size.