October 14, 2004

Street Talk by Carol Rosen

The coyote issue in Almaden has been all over the news lately. Have you ever been affected by a coyote in this area? Are you in favor of euthanizing these animals?
(Asked at the Almaden Center, corner of Camden and Almaden Expwy.)


“We haven’t been affected at all. I don’t think the coyotes should be euthanized. They were here first. We’re [my family] animal lovers, and we’re not affected by them. But it certainly is a hot topic around here.”

Debbie Phalen, 40
Almaden Valley
Nurse

“We lost our family cat to a coyote, and we think another cat down the street was lost too. By Golf Creek, there was a white egret, two families of ducks and some raccoons. None of those animals exist now. Our home was built in 1967, and we moved into it in 1984 [my wife’s parents lived there from 1967-1984]. The environment has changed, and it’s become dangerous. It’s up to the government to make it safer. I don’t think the animals should be euthanized. I think a different solution such as trapping and then relocating them to where coyote populations need to be stimulated. But wringing hands certainly doesn’t make sense.”

George Lutz, 62
Almaden Valley
Retired

“I love the animals, it’s part of the reason that we moved out here. I’d hate to see them trap [and kill] the animals. I think we need to learn to live in the same place as them. I even like to listen to them howl at night. We need to keep our cats and our pets and their food inside. I don’t think the answer is to euthanize them. But trapping and moving the coyotes to where their population needs to be built up is a good Plan B.”

Meg Trangsried, 50
Almaden Valley
Dental hygienist

“There’s a book called “Wild Nights,” which discusses reintroducing wild species into urban environments. The message is that we arrived 400 years ago, but the animals lived here for hundreds of years before we came. The animals are learning to adapt to our space. For example, the book talks about bears living 10 miles from New York City. These wild animals are trying to fit into this industrialized society. But the ecosystem is fragile. What is our loss, not damaging crops? Most animals will avoid contact with humans, it’s how they stay alive. [Before we do anything] we’ve got do studies to find out what’s appropriate and what will work. We need a real solution.”

Mitchell Wells, 53
Almaden Valley
Diamond broker

“We think they ate our cat. The pigs have rototilled our lawn. We need to figure out how to make sure they don’t come around. We own a farm on 2 1/2 acres with dogs, cats, chickens, horses, etc. We’ve seen cougars, bobcats and coyotes. We hear them all the time. We fenced our property so they can’t get in. But something needs to be done with the coyote population, catch them, kill them or release them to another area.”

Steve Brauer, 45
Almaden Valley
City of Santa Clara employee

“We have horses and chickens. These animals are trying constantly to get at the horses and chickens. While it used to be their land, it seems their population is growing. And then the dogs bark all night because of the coyotes, then the coyotes howl, and it’s like a concert! We need to have some kind of wildlife management. I don’t see any problem euthanizing them. I don’t always think moving animals to a different area works. I think our solution is to euthanize them to a moderate level. But we also need to survey the wild life in our area. We shouldn’t get rid of all of them, they are good for killing rats and mice and keeping those populations in balance.”

Troy Van Amburg, 28
Almaden Valley
Electrician