WHAT DOES A 9 WEEK OLD COYOTE PUP …THAT HAS BEEN SHOT….. HAVE TO DO WITH YOUR FARM?
The answer is….a great deal. I am a wildlife biologist whose work focuses on carnivores. A Vet contacted me and shared how this coyote pup came to her. Evidently an individual killed this pup’s parents and she was wondering around unprotected by them. It appears that same individual shot this small pup (but was a bad aim), so the bullet went through her paw. Her paw being very little was badly damaged, bones and flesh torn apart.
So what does this pup’s story have to do with you. So often when I work with our farmers in Maine, I share with them that farming well with carnivores entails 2 important aspects: When speaking about coyotes the first aspect entails keeping a stable coyote family present on your farm. In this situation the parents have the opportunity to teach their pups how to be excellent hunters of their wild prey, and when they are…they are not hungry. The second aspect is using good animal husbandry practices, as you can read about on this website.
So this pup has lost her parents. She is too little to know how to hunt effectively (At this age she is completely dependent on her parents). So if pups are left to struggle for survival……they will seek out your farm animals more readily, and will continue to do so as they grow up…if they survive.
So be aware of what goes on around your farm. There are many enlightened farmers here in Maine who share with their community members the need to leave their coyotes in peace. And what a difference it makes!
One last comment regarding this pup’s story. It makes me believe that our young people care about all life on the farm. That is the Farming of the Future. This is how the pup made it to the Vet ~ The granddaughter of the individual who attempted to kill this pup, saw what happened and ran to a neighbors where a young man sought out the vet.
Shared by Geri Vistein, Carnivore Biologist in Maine