Jessica Simpson lost her dog to a coyote: do not let this happen to your Fi Fi

September 30, 4:01 PMChicago Adventure Travel ExaminerTed Nelson

Previous Next

7 comments Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Chicago Adventure Travel Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Jessica Simpson saw a coyote take her beloved dog Daisy on Monday. Although this is a rare occurrence it is not uncommon as coyotes are becoming more prevalent in urban areas. Stanly D. Gehrt from Ohio St. stated in his study on the animals in Cook County, Illinois that coyotes were “originally known as ghosts of the plains, coyotes have now become ghosts of the cities, occasionally heard but rarely seen.” Do not tell this to Jessica as they are no ghost to her as her maltipoo was snatched by this predator right before her eyes. 

Dogs are part of the family and this is a traumatic experience. However, coyotes are wild animals and have a right to do what they do which is to hunt and eat in the outdoors. With this in mind it is important to take precautions with your pet even in urban areas. It is not safe to leave small dogs outside alone in any areas with any proximity to woods or prairie. If living in a rural or semi-rural area it is not advised to leave small dogs unattended unless they are enclosed in a fence.

This does not mean that people should freak out and worry that there is a large scale menace occurring in our neighborhoods threatening the existence of every Spot, Fido, and Lassie. Stanly Gehrt’s study on Chicago coyotes examined almost 1,500 specimen of coyote scat to determine diet. This study concluded that only 1% of the scat showed existence that coyotes had eaten cats and there was no evidence of a coyote consuming a dog. The top of the list on coyote diet includes small rodents 42%, deer 22%, fruit 23%, rabbits 18%, birds 13%, and raccoons 8%.

Photo courtesy morguefile.com

Coyotes are opportunistic hunters and will take advantage of easy prey when they can find it. The above statistics show that coyotes rarely attack and eat pets, and also they rarely even eat our garbage. Only 2% of the scat tested showed that coyotes were eating garbage. In fact, it appears that coyotes are playing an important predator role in many communities checking population of sometimes nuisance animals like rodents and raccoons and helping maintain a more in control deer population.

Despite the fact that attacks on pets are rare, they do happen and it is important to be watchful with your small pets as you would with your children especially in rural areas, but even in urban areas. If a coyote is seen and is threatening the family dog then it is important to call animal control and have the animal removed. A California study on coyotes showed that these coyotes that are a pest lose their fear of not only animals, but man and have in very rare occasions even attacked people.

Jessica Simpson’s lost dog shows that it is important to keep a close watch on pets in areas where coyotes have made a comeback. However, it is also important to note that coyotes are a welcome return to many areas as they are helping keep the natural order in balance by preying on small animals and fulfilling their role as a predator.

This is a second part of a series of articles regarding urban sprawl and animal/human encounters.  Read part I here.

If interested in this report I advise reading the very intersting study done by Stanley D. Gehrt from Ohio St.