But in the wild, surrounded by cruel traps and the obstacles of human encroachment, Doc may not have long. Unless we learn to coexist with him.
Modern science has shown that the historical means we have dealt with coyotes does not work: culling, even in small scale amounts, causes a spike in coyote populations. We also know that the culling of any mesopredator is an ineffective means of disease control, conflict resolution or ecological balancing.
We do, however, know that coexistence is possible.
We’ve seen ranchers successfully and safely live with predators all around their land. We’ve seen urban municipalities accept the presence of coyotes and, with few changes, live safely amongst them.
Coexistence is possible. After all Doc has gone through – the loss of his mother and family – doesn’t he deserve it?
Learn more about why coyotes like Doc are persecuted and what you can do to stop it by visiting our campaigns page.
