Update: I saw the coyote myself on Friday, Nov. 19th. Several neighbors on our block have seen him / her in the last week here in Grant Park.
Our neighbors have seen it. County Chair Jeff Cogen saw it in his front yard (he also lives in our part of town). That's right. I'm talking about the coyote spotted recently in NE Portland (in the Grant Park and Irvington neighborhoods).
One of our neighbors e-mailed last week that she ran into the coyote just blocks from our house:
It looked pretty scruffy and thin. I felt quite sorry for it. It did not seem too frightened of people, there were three of us looking at it. One fellow started moving toward it and it meandered off down the hill of 39th street
Hazel, our trusty Australian Cattle Dog, would like all would-be coyote assassins to know the difference between a wild coyote and a cattle dog.
This is a coyote:
Though from what I'm told this artist's rendering might more accurately portray the coyote seen in our parts.
This is Hazel, our Australian Cattle Dog:
As it turns out, coyote sightings aren't that rare. The Audubon Society of Portland has some interesting information on urban coyotes:
The presence of coyotes (Canis latrans) on urban and suburban landscapes is neither surprising nor necessarily cause for concern. Coyotes are highly adaptive members of the dog family and have demonstrated an ability to survive in the most urbanized environments in cities across North America. Most urban coyotes go about their lives without ever raising awareness of their presence among their human neighbors. Coyotes do, however, play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. As a ‘top of the food chain’ predator species, they play a valuable role in naturally controlling other species, such as rodents and Canada geese, that tend to proliferate in urban ecosystems. Coyote management in urban ecosystems is sometimes driven by fear, misunderstanding, and sensational media coverage. Numerous myths about dangers associated with coyote activities have become established in the public’s mind as factual, and have been perpetuated as a result of repetition by media and the public at large. Ineffective or inappropriate coyote control activities often have not only failed to resolve existing conflicts, but may also have added additional unexpected hazards to the landscape. The following links will take you to a variety of information about the animal that Navajo sheepherders once referred to as “God’s dog.”
Click here for more.
If you see this pup remember to stay away. The Audubon Society's Bob Sallinger warns: "Don't approach him. Don't follow him. When you see him, scare him off. Bites of humans are incredibly rare. But the situations when it does happen is when they're showing a lack of fear of humans."
Hazel, on the other hand, would appreciate a pat on the back and perhaps a doggy treat of some kind.
