When I walk my dogs late at night before we all go to bed, I can hear the eerie sounds of Coyotes howling in the fields behind my house. It can be a bit unnerving at times, especially when both of my dogs are very nosy, and will chase after almost anything. I worry one will catch their eye one night and will only end in terror. I always walk them on a leash at night, especially when I can hear they are really active. I have even had a Coyote run out in front of me cruising through my neighborhood one evening. That is the closest I ever hope to get to one of the feral dogs.
That being said South Carolina has been devising a plan to create a "Coyote Lottery" in hopes of reducing the amount of predator species in our state. The plan is still in the works, but here is what I know so far:
Lawmakers want to pass a law that allows the state Department of Natural Resources (SC.DNR) to capture 16 Coyotes, mark them someway, and release them into the wild. A hunter who shoots one of these marked Coyotes would be able to turn in the carcass and receive lifetime hunting privileges in the state.
The idea is that predator hunters in state would spread out, and kill as many Coyotes as possible trying to catch one of the "winning tickets".
The problem with this idea is that predators are part of the food chain as well, they have a purpose that is much bigger than ourselves. Although many people see Coyotes as scary, harmful, invasive animals, they mainly eat small rodents and grasshoppers! Occasionally they get a small dog or cat, but more often than not they keep their distance from humans.
If all the Coyotes are killed off, then suddenly there will be an overflow of rodents and grasshoppers, then they would want to create a lottery for them too!
When it comes to killing innocent predator animals, just like any other animal eradication it is doomed to fail. The South Carolina DNR has some questions for lawmakers, such as where will the lucky 16 come from? Who is responsible for trapping the Coyotes? Finally, What to do with all the dead carcasses that come through and were not tagged?
My hope is that this plan will fall through and there will be no "Coyote Lottery" in South Carolina. We should be focused on conservation methods, and relocating some of these predator animals. I have already exposed the Wildlife Services in an earlier post, and they already kill off enough Coyotes for everyone.
SAY NO TO THE COYOTE LOTTERY!!!
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