09/04/2022
THIS girl! Her bright eyes and the now healthy bridge of her snout greeted me yesterday when I checked on her. Overnight her skin had calmed down, her energy returned, she is hydrated and very much going to survive. I have seen this enough to believe there is no species tougher than a coyote!
Of course for me, the more pathetic they are when they arrive, the more my heart gets involved in their plight to survive. She and I had a "moment" when I was hand feeding her while she cowered under her blanket the other day. I had noticed she wasn't leaving the safety of the blanket to eat so I fed her under the blanket from my hand. Trust often creates trust with wildlife and she responded by gently taking every bite, being so careful not to harm me. They are so intelligent, and now when I give her meds or clean her crate, she isn't at all alarmed. She knows I am here to help her and that will make life easier on us both moving forward. (And yes, I love her. I have named her Mazie. She is not mine, but she earned a name and of course it refers to the appearance of her poor skin)
The plight of the wild coyote is a real thing and my heart always goes out to them. Like the rest of us, they are only trying to survive and their means are often regarded as criminal, but if you believe that "we all suffer the same" you have to ask yourself how far would you go to feed your family if food was scarce, and then you might feel a pang of compassion for these brilliant survivors. They are opportunistic, sure, but they are also calculating, organized pack hunters, or often single scouts sent out for a sneaky grab, taking advantage of our inability to protect our own animals. They make fools out of humans daily, and sadly, it often costs them their very lives.
Coyote mange is not at all uncommon and as with any species, hard times leads to parasites and disease and they become more and more unwelcome as we take more and more of their territory. I fear it is inevitable that the wild coyote will likely one day shrink into history, and we will then realize how much we actually needed them.
Coyote hunts are still common in our state and as their numbers decline, disease in their natural prey will rise. A sick deer is easy prey for a coyote pack, and the most effective way to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer is to rely on the natural selection system to deal with it, and the only species left in any effective numbers to help is the coyote. This fatal and highly contagious disease in deer is spread by f***s, urine and saliva and a sick deer can wander for weeks or months spreading disease without a predator to take advantage. We cannot be everywhere to end these suffering animals, but the coyote is already doing it!
So, hard truth here; If we want there to be deer, we need coyotes. Nature isn't pretty. Nature is a cruel beast on her best day, but the system was never designed to be attractive, just effective and it only fails when we interfere and we are SO good at interfering. I can name a purpose within Nature's design for every animal that comes into my hands. The only species I struggle to assign purpose to is us, so the least we can do is try to be better humans and create less harm to those who are keeping the system we depend on working for us all.
If you love and respect Nature the way I do, you get me. If you don't, it's fine. Just be grateful there are people looking out for those who are doing a job to keep us all alive that often need help and have the least resources. My life is dedicated to the "least", and I am honored to be here for them, but what I do is a fraction of a fraction of what is needed to make a difference to support the natural system in place. That is why I share my thoughts. Maybe someone who CAN create change will be inspired to do so.
Thanks for reading!
Annette
