Coyotes Attack Young Man

Yesterday morning, a 22-year-old man was walking along a trail near Niwot (6 miles to the northeast of Boulder); it was just before dawn and he was thinking about grabbing a quick breakfast before heading off to work.  He heard a noise off to one side, and turned his head - just in time to see three coyotes launch themselves at him.  He managed to fight them off, while yelling loudly.  He then called 911 and was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for puncture wounds, bites and scratches and then released.  No apparent lasting damage was done, but the young man was bleeding from his face, ears, neck, arms, hands and one bite on his stomach.  Two of the three coyotes suspected of attacking him have been killed, and authorities are still seeking the third culprit.
  I am not happy about the coyotes attacking the man without reason - they should be leery of man, and should shy away from him.  But people are feeding the coyotes and desensitizing them to man.  I don't want coyotes in a neighborhood where I live, and I will actively police against them, if they are seen where I live. But...  But they are a natural scavenger and are local denizens of the area.  I don't like it when the big guy in Githens Acres (where I walk dogs and house-sit) trots around in broad daylight, looking fat and content, and unafraid of the people and animals who live there.  Then again, I can't, personally, kill him, either.
  That's the problem with civilization today; people keep encroaching upon territory that has belonged to the wild creatures.  We both need space.  Coyotes are smart animals, known to the Native Americans as "the Trickster," and they adapt easily to new and changing environment.  The problem is with those of us who live with smaller domesticated pets - cats, dogs, rabbits.  We want our beloved pets to be able to run loose in the yard without having to worry about predators, like coyotes.  We expect the wild animals, whom we admire for being wild, to respect our civilized feelings and not even consider our pets as a food source.  That is completely foolhardy.  I love my two cats, and I allow them to play in my back yard when I am home.  I tell myself that I have a good excuse for doing so - I live in a 500-square-foot studio apartment, and my kits need to be able to run and get exercise.  I will be terribly upset if anything happens to my pets to hurt or kill them while they are outside - but that is the risk I have decided to take simply by allowing them outside.  I know that I can't have my cake and eat it, too.  I am aware of the risks.  But most pet owners do not think about or acknowledge them.
  *****
Second half of my trip to Oklahoma City will appear tomorrow...

Coyote Attack, Apology

Yesterday morning, at 9:30, a single coyote sneaked into a back yard and tried to grab a cat.  Bandit is an older fellow, a big, fluffy, cuddly fellow, who is going blind because of cataracts.  He suddenly yowled, which is extremely unusual for him, and his human was able to run out and chase the coyote out of the yard.  Bandit was frightened, but unhurt, as was his owner, Leslie.  I'm staying next door at Alexy's, and have not allowed Shady and Cloudy outside - yesterday or today.  So Cloudy and Shady are unhappy with me, but I don't want to tell Alexy that they disappeared and a coyote was next door...
   When I got up this morning, I fed Cloudy and Shady, and then walked the 1 1/2 miles to the grocery store; got my breakfast and supper, and walked back to Alexy's.  After eating, I walked Rosie, and then came home to see my kits.  Was surprised to see Dinah's door open in the hall, but then saw a Boulder police officer inside, and realized they were there to enforce her eviction notice.  Poor Dinah.  She needs help.  I know I'm depressed, but at least I take my meds and get counseling.  Dinah swears that there's a man living in "the crawl space above the ceiling" and that he keeps coming into her apartment through the ceiling, and stealing her belongings and food.  The ceilings in our apartments are concrete over iron girders, with a bit of spackley plaster over the cement.  She called the police and reported this so many times, that they got her permission to set up cameras in her apartment and film for 36 hours.  The only living thing seen in the apartment was Dinah - but she called the BPD, while the filming was going on, declaring that the man had come out of the ceiling and stolen food from her refrigerator.  She was arrested for making a false police report.  Now she's being evicted because she hasn't paid her rent since she first moved in...  Poor thing.
  Bea, my friend, has a third job interview with the same company today - afterwards, we're to have lunch at the Olive Garden, and then go to the public library, and over to Alfalfa's.  The store manager has reviewed the security tapes from the Saturday we visited, and tells us that the manager of the beverage department was on break, and that it just seemed that he was following Bea and me around.  The general manager and the beverage manager want to meet with us and apologize.  How refreshing!