Coyotes Kill Twenty-two Pets in Washington Town

Coyotes have been blamed for the death of 22 pets in a Washington neighborhood, according to the local news.

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Coyotes have killed so many pets — seven dogs and 15 cats, by one resident’s count — that people who live in the Oakbrook neighborhood of Lakewood have hired a trapper to get rid of the predators.

The state of Washington banned recreational and fur trapping via ballot initiative back in 2000, and residents have been suffering with increased rates of animal damage ever since.

Coyotes are so plentiful in the state that Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agents won’t deal with them unless they threaten people.”I’m afraid it just a matter of time; they’re going to go after children,” Hickey said.What worries the neighbors is that the coyotes appear to have lost their fear of humans and are showing up during the day.

Read the full story here.

Click Here to read a 2001 article describing the fallout after the trap ban.