A claim that a pack of coyotes attacked a horse in Oxford Township, resulting in its death, is being investigated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
‘We’re looking into it,? said Tim Payne, the DNR’s Southeast Regional Wildlife Supervisor. ‘We are still uncertain as to exactly what happened.?
Oxford resident Kallie (Roesner) Meyers reported that a pack of coyotes attacked her 27-year-old registered Argentine thoroughbred on Sunday, Jan. 25 (see story: Coyotes blamed in horse’s death.) The attack resulted in wounds so severe, the mare, a retired national champion in dressage, had to be euthanized, she said.
‘The thing that is unique in this (situation) is that coyotes, when you look at their behavior . . . are not known to attack big animals like this,? Payne said.
Payne has spoken with people who have decades of experience working with these wild canines and they ‘have never heard of coyotes actually attacking a healthy horse that’s able to stand and move around.?
‘That’s unheard of,? he said. ‘There’s a uniqueness there that to us, right now, doesn’t make sense. So, we need to investigate.?
‘Without (looking at) some evidence, it’s hard to say what happened,? Payne added.
He noted if the DNR lab is able to examine the horse carcass, ‘we might be able to get an idea of was this really a coyote? that did this.
Roesner said the horse was buried on Monday.
Coyotes will take livestock such as sheep and goats, according to Payne, but a horse that weighs more than 1,000 pounds is something entirely different given how small the wild canine is by comparison.
‘A 50-pound coyote is a big coyote. Usually they’re closer to 30-35 pounds,? Payne said. ‘The coyote’s head probably doesn’t even come up to the (horse’s) belly. It’s too big of an animal for them to even do something with.?
According to the DNR website, a coyote typically weighs between 25 and 45 pounds, is 3 feet long and has a maximum height of 18 inches.
‘It would be very unusual for a coyote to even take the time to try to bother a big animal unless it was down and hurt and couldn’t get up and in the process of dying or dead,? Payne said. ‘They’re scavengers, so if an animal . . . slipped, fell and died or was in the process of dying, then it would be vulnerable . . . But if it could stand, coyotes aren’t even known to get anywhere around that. Dogs are. Dogs will worry a big horse, but coyotes aren’t known to do that.?
‘Coyotes are opportunistic and will eat almost anything available. Small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, rabbits, hares, and squirrels are preferred foods,? the DNR website states. ‘In areas with high deer numbers, carrion (i.e. the decaying flesh of dead animals) resulting from vehicle deer collisions, natural causes, and crippling losses is an important source of food. In urban areas, coyotes are attracted to garbage, garden vegetables, and pet foods. They will also prey on unattended small dogs and cats, if opportunities exist. Some coyotes learn to kill smaller livestock, such as sheep, goats, calves, and poultry. Larger animals are almost always consumed as carrion.?
As a result of this incident, Payne indicated he’s heard of people expressing concerns over the possibility of coyotes attacking humans. He wanted to address this.
‘We have no documented cases of coyotes attacking people in Michigan,? he said.
Payne said coyotes have been here for ‘quite a few years? and in many cases, they are ‘perfectly good being in and around people.?
‘Rarely do they cause problems where you would be concerned for human safety,? he said. ‘And when I say rare, I mean very rare.?
Coyotes are typically afraid of people.
‘They’re more known to be fearful of man and actually move the other way if confronted by somebody,? Payne said.
A coyote that doesn’t move away after a person yells or throws something at it is ‘not that common. That is rare,? Payne said.
The only time coyotes can pose a threat to people is if they’ve become ‘habituated? to them and lose that natural fear, he noted.
‘If you look out west, there are documented records of them attacking people and most of those are cases where the coyote has got habituated ? people have fed it, some people have even tried to feed it from their hand. The coyote has lost the fear of man,? Payne explained.
Once a coyote loses that fear, Payne noted, ‘That’s probably not a good coyote to have running around, especially if you’ve got small pets or kids.?
At that point, he said it’s recommended the coyote be dispatched. Michigan law does allow a person to kill a coyote without a hunting license when it constitutes a threat to them or their animals.
‘If a coyote is doing damage or about to do damage, they can be killed at any time (of the year),? Payne said. ‘They don’t even need to call (the DNR). They can just go do it . . . You have every right to protect your livestock.?
Although there are no records of coyotes attacking people in Michigan, Payne said, ‘at some time, it probably will happen.?
‘If you get them tame enough, losing fear enough, if you allow for that, it’s maybe a matter of time,? he said.
That being said, Payne believes the number of these habituated coyotes that could potentially pose a threat to people is ‘way less than 1 percent of the population out there.?
‘Coyotes are here. They’ve been around,? he said. ‘And unless they are tremendously habituated to people where they literally have lost their fear of people, you have nothing to fear yourself.?
Coyotes are considered a game animal in Michigan. People can hunt them from July 15 through April 15 and trap them from Oct. 15 to March 1. There is no bag limit.
If order to go after them, a person must obtain both a base hunting license for $11 and a fur harvester license for $15.