To the editor:<\/p>\n
While I love all creatures great and small, I am writing to share a deeply disconcerting experience I had on the beach on May 8 and to ask you \u2014 and our city \u2014 to recognize the urgency of supporting the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation\u2019s (SCCF) science-based recommendation to selectively cull nuisance coyotes.<\/p>\n
Fact is, no one wants to take a public stance like this on an island of wildlife lovers (including me), so I applaud SCCF\u2019s courage in following the science and pragmatically recommending the most practical, but extremely difficult, strategy.<\/p>\n
At this point, as coyotes become increasingly bold, failing to act knowingly jeopardizes both a threatened species \u2014 loggerhead sea turtles \u2014 and the safety of humans and pets.<\/p>\n
Southwest Florida is one of the most important loggerhead nesting regions in the world, placing Sanibel in a unique position to meaningfully impact the survival of this threatened species. Coyotes are extraordinarily adaptable and can thrive almost anywhere. Loggerheads are not. They are biologically programmed to return, with remarkable fidelity, to the very shore where they hatched.<\/p>\n
On the morning of May 8, I witnessed a glorious sight that quickly turned troubling. A particularly golden-hued loggerhead \u2014 whom I gave the \u201cshore name\u201d Harmony \u2014 laid her eggs near my home on West Gulf Drive. I immediately called the sea turtle hotline, and SCCF\u2019s Jack Brzoza came running down the beach Baywatch-style with tagging and measurement equipment in tow.<\/p>\n
After Harmony returned to the Gulf, I continued walking with my little dog, Frankie, feeling immense gratitude for the privilege of witnessing such grandeur in nature. That peace was quickly shattered when I saw a coyote emerge from the sea oats and head directly toward the freshly laid nest.<\/p>\n
I scooped up Frankie and ran screaming toward the coyote, hoping it would retreat. But it persisted \u2014 and so did I. Each time I charged and yelled, the coyote would back off briefly to the sea oat line, wait a few minutes, and then boldly trot back onto the open beach, completely unafraid.<\/p>\n
At one point, it accelerated toward my unaware neighbor and came within approximately 100 feet of her as she walked toward the nest. I ran faster and screamed louder to warn her. Earlier this year, another neighbor similarly spared me from an unsettling stalking encounter while I walked the shoreline.<\/p>\n
In what universe is this normal or acceptable? Why are we normalizing repeated confrontations with a wild animal designated a \u201cnuisance species\u201d under state law \u2014 one that is also jeopardizing the survival of a threatened species?<\/p>\n
As I returned home, I could not even put my dog down while walking up my own beach path for fear the coyote was still lurking. So much for peace and harmony \u2014 which is why I am asking you to choose Harmony.<\/p>\n
To be clear, I think coyotes are beautiful animals. They are simply being what they are, so this is truly a predicament. But while we cannot save every species, we are uniquely positioned to make a lasting and meaningful difference for loggerhead sea turtles.<\/p>\n
Last year, Sanibel\u2019s island-wide nest predation rate was 40%. The nationwide \u201cacceptable\u201d predation rate is 10%.<\/p>\n
SCCF has studied this issue in depth for years. Wildlife experts across the country \u2014 including the U.S. Park Service and cattle associations throughout the West \u2014 have long concluded that coyotes are extraordinarily adaptable, cunning, and difficult to deter effectively. This leaves us facing a difficult but necessary decision.<\/p>\n
To further debate and delay taking action is itself a choice \u2014 one with immediate consequences for a threatened species relying on us for protection. As you weigh this matter, please remember that while we cannot save every species, we are uniquely positioned to help preserve one of the world\u2019s most important loggerhead nesting grounds.<\/p>\n
This is a horrible predicament, but I respect and applaud SCCF for the breadth of scientific studies it has reviewed, as well as conducted, before arriving at the difficult recommendation to selectively trap the few nuisance coyotes that have proven to be bad actors. I hope you, and our city, will consider supporting SCCF on this courageous stance. Both public safety and the survival of a threatened species depend on it.<\/p>\n
P.S. If you have a similar encounter or sighting, I encourage you to notify our city and post it on the Sanibel Property Owners Facebook page. We deserve to feel safe, and our hatchlings deserve the opportunity to survive.<\/p>\n
Linda Linsmayer<\/p>\n
Sanibel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To the editor: While I love all creatures great and small, I am writing to share a deeply…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-275480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}