To the editor:<\/p>\n
I was on Sanibel when the Island Reporter ran an article in the May 20, 2026, issue regarding the injured and now repaired coyote pup. The surgeons worked admirably and true to their oath.<\/p>\n
The issue now is what do you do with him?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m suggesting a logical, livable, happy, productive use for him \u2026 and good for CROW and Sanibel and the United States.<\/p>\n
First, many decades of experience tell us: he\u2019s a canine, carnivore (a few dog and wolf genes), very smart, cunning, tricky, exceptional nose and instincts, and a survivor. Originally from the western prairies, now significantly entrenched coast to coast, even in the heart of congested major metropolitan areas, they have studied man\u2019s actions and \u201cwork around us.\u201d They\u2019ll nest in shrubs 10 feet from your front door \u2026 roam all night \u2026 and you\u2019ll never know it.<\/p>\n
This lucky puppy should be used to market the fact that he is the enemy to many of man\u2019s best friends.<\/p>\n
They survive on rabbits, lizards, birds (especially birds that nest on the ground or in low bushes), turtles \u2014 beach eggs or land young. They will kill and consume your dog or cat if the opportunity is right. They may deserve credit for mice\/rats in cities. They have become pack hunters, like wolves, in some St. Louis suburbs.<\/p>\n
\u201cShowcase\u201d him in a pen \u2014 with a house and no chance to escape (double entry doors). Clever signs that say, \u201cI look cute \u2014 but I am the enemy.\u201d Where he resides, harmless cute critters disappear.<\/p>\n
Bird and turtle populations are on the decline worldwide. Many thousands of dedicated people are trying to reverse this.<\/p>\n
A few folks on Sanibel may feel he should be \u201creturned to the wild.\u201d Don\u2019t let this happen.<\/p>\n
Regarding a name, use this opportunity to the benefit of all the creatures he won\u2019t consume. Something that will draw attention to the worldwide problem. Develop a contest \u2014 establish the kind of name you seek and why. Get contributors thinking in the right direction. Get people competing, stir interest, have fun.<\/p>\n
The Reporter is positioned to do this.<\/p>\n
Bob Morton<\/p>\n
St. Louis, Missouri<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To the editor: I was on Sanibel when the Island Reporter ran an article in the May 20,…\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-300974","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\/300974","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=300974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300974\/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=300974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}