The Editor,
Monday evening, several people told me they saw a beautiful young coyote in Como Lake Park, despite a large number of humans and dogs.
When I reached the south end of the pathway, I, too, saw the animal, near the parked cars, eating something. On closer inspection, that something turned out to be a whole loaf of sliced bread and six hamburger buns.
My approach scared the coyote away long enough for me to collect and dispose of the food to minimize the animal’s chances of human interaction; a group of people were closing in to take photos. The bread was quite fresh and had obviously been put where it was, not just thrown from a car.
The young coyote was already losing its natural wariness at being near people and food handouts would only make matters worse. As a longtime wildlife rehabilitator and animal lover, I have seen the tragic results when wild creatures become used to people. It is too often a death sentence for the animal, which is then often classed as a “nuisance.”
Please, people, let birds and animals find their own natural food — don’t tempt them with yours to get a cute picture. The slogan “a fed animal is a dead animal” is all too true.
Enjoy them in their own space — at a distance — and don’t litter our beautiful Coquitlam parks with piles of discarded food, which, incidentally, attracts rats as well.
Elizabeth Thunstrom, Coquitlam
