This photograph is disturbing but what it depicts must happen all the time in America. However, it is rare that the moment is captured on a digital camera. It crossed my mind that this coyote looks very healthy and fit. He is not skinny. Without wishing to upset people, perhaps he is having a field day feeding on outside domestic cats.
I wonder how many cat owners are silent about their lost cat. Not everyone searches for their cat. Is it a fair comment to think that some cat owners know of the risk and when their cat fails to turn up they understand that he or she may have been taken by a coyote and accept it?
The photograph was taken by Joyce Hands last Saturday in the morning (8:30am). The location: Auburndale neighbourhood of Newton (Nr Boston), USA.
Joyce posted a warning on Facebook to keep cats inside in this area. She thought the coyote was large. Joyce’s dogs barked at the coyote but he was unperturbed. Obviously a confident coyote used to being in the human urban environment.
The police say it is not unusual for a cat to be killed by a coyote but it is unusual to see a picture of it. Understandably the police have no intention of catching and killing the coyote. Why should they? Perhaps they would if a coyote attacked a person but I understand that coyotes don’t attack people unless cornered.
Reported by: boston.cbslocal.com (CBS local news from Boston).
This clearly looks like a wolf-coyote hybrid that is happening in the NE (there are more than a million), rather than a well-fed coyote. Although, I won’t deny that it might be eating well. Sad
http://www.businessinsider.com/images-of-coywolves-in-the-northeast-2015-10/#coywolves-like-the-one-below-have-a-completely-new-genetic-makeup-from-their-parent-species-about-one-quarter-of-their-dna-comes-from-the-wolf-and-two-thirds-comes-from-the-coyote-the-rest-of-their-dna-comes-from-domesticated-dogs-mostly-german-shepherds-and-doberman-pincers-a-2013-study-suggests-1
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Thanks Kit.