Coyote shakedown

Los Angeles Animal Services has only one Wildlife person. That is Officer Greg Randall. (I do not know what kind of officer works in Animal Services, but it is not a police officer, because I asked him. A vet? I’m not sure. And looking into the black hole of City Hall is not for the faint-hearted. Just try to make sense of these websites and the chain of command. I dare you. ) Anyway, if you call the City of LA about any wild animal, after a very long wait on the phone, you’ll be directed towards him and only him. He is the word.

I first heard Officer Randall about 3 days after the fire on Which Way LA, (along with bsa.) He said that people might find wildlife acting strangely after the fire, disoriented, and looking for food and shelter in people’s backyards. (Later, I had a long refreshing conversation with him, and was very impressed with his dedication and compassion.)

I didn’t really see any of this activity myself, since I live a mile from the park, and we don’t have a back yard here, but the night of the fire I heard anguished croaking in the

pb Jeramy Boberamy. His own caption on his page in Flick r said: “Two Coyotes – I hope they didn’t get hurt in the fire :-(”

middle of the night; at least one distressed Canadian goose was circling the Silver Lake hills, honking over and over. But something happened last week that really grabbed my attention!

I often walk the hills in Silver Lake in the evening, and I see at least one skunk, and very occasionally a raccoon. It’s almost always two coyotes at a time, when I see them a few times a month. I’m sure it’s easier for them to hunt that way, but I admire the true love that keeps them together! And I feel sorry for a youngster I saw near my home a lot after the fire, with no parent or relative to protect and help him survive.

So this one night I was just cresting a hill, heavy panting (me), when I saw some others with the same idea, coming up the other side of the hill: five (5) coyotes, all fanned out across the narrow road. I’ve NEVER seen that many on a city street, and on this particular steep street I’ve only seen a couple in 3 years. Upon sight of me, two of them had already begun to move to the side to flank me, but we were all shut in by a steep ivy-covered hill on one side, and a stone wall on the other. The moon was behind me, so it gave a couple of them silver eyes, like poor headlights on an old car.

Of course, I immediately considered taking the guise of Diana, fingers lightly touching the withers of my wolves coyotes on all sides. Or, on the other hand, running.

They made the decision first. As one, they obediently turned and went back down the hill they had spent many calories to climb. I admit, I had felt uneasy for a few seconds, but in the end, I felt guilty. The night had been theirs, and mine didn’t seem as nice without them.

PS I’ve seen hundreds of coyotes in and around LA and they have NEVER been the least bit aggressive. But if you feel a tiny, teeny bit nervous seeing them, just jingle some coins in your pocket or your keys. They know what metal can do.