Kallie, first of all I’m sorry for the loss of your horse. Having been raised on a farm in the thumb area with live stock and knowing that some of them are treated as pets, rather than as just animals, it is hard for some people to come to terms when you have a loss such as this.
Coyotes are now a common occurrence in Oakland County. I’ve seen several this year, more than usual. There are reports in the news from suburbs where they are stalking dogs, two-to-three at a time and all we hear is keep an eye on them and keep them close to the house to keep them safe.
There are reports from police departments to go ahead and shoot the coyotes in defense of your pets if they are in danger. There are a lot of dangers of discharging a firearm in the suburbs as we all can imagine.
The DNR is not equipped to handle all the reports of coyotes and to trap and release them in an area where they won’t be a danger to people and pets. The DNR does the best they can with what they have and my hat goes off to them for what they do for us.
Now, my point is. There were two ballot proposals in the last election about wolf hunting. I realize there are no wolves here and these are two separate issues, but the area where wolf hunting was being held was in the U.P. where farmers were losing livestock in the same manner as Kallie’s horse. There were only 40 permits issued for the wolf hunt and only around 23 taken. The intent is not to eliminate the wolf, but to control them.
There was no hunt last year in order to check on how well this hunt went and to see of there is a problem remaining with the rest of the wolf population. The Humane Society of United States (HSUS) has had a federal judge block the hunting of wolves in three states, including Michigan. They are to be returned to the endangered species list and protected.
The farmers in this area can no longer protect their livestock when they are attacked by shooting them or any other means. The special permits that were issued to farmers have been revoked.
The only way you can kill a wolf is if it is in immediate defense of a human life according to the new law passed. HSUS is a group of from California that has no interest in hunting in our state, other than trying to stop it altogether along with all fishing.
The coyotes could be the next thing HSUS could come after. If they fall under the same ruling, we could be overrun by them and all be in danger with no way to protect ourselves or our pets.
There could be more families, like Kallie, who will be heartbroken if they lose a cherished pet to the wild animals. As a hunter and fisherman, all I ask is that the DNR and NRC use sound judgment and scientific facts when setting wildlife season for the protection of all species of wildlife and for the protection of us and our pets.
Again Kallie, I am sorry for your loss and wish the best for you.
Jim Muys, Oxford