It is happening a lot. Not just in rural areas. The more people move out of towns the more the "natives" are forced to learn to co-exist or perish. Why should they stay away when food and shelter are so plentiful in the cities? The amount of waste that gets thrown out back doors of businesses and restaurants in enough to feed a pack of coyotes for weeks.

They are not the only ones that have found this out though. Other small mammals and forest animals are also being forced to resort to these kinds of behaviors. People laughed at "Over the Hedge". But if any one has ever lived on the edge of a place like this, it is all too real.

We live in the center of Johnstown, Pa. Population over 100,000. Yet we have skunks, raccoons, rabbits, and others. They have nowhere to go that would provide them with the kind of shelter they get from our basement or our trash cans. And honestly we don't grudge them it either. The trash cans are left in the "mud room" until trash day, but we do ( OK, I do lol) occasionally throw something out the door in the snow or early spring to feed the babies.

And before anyone yells at me for enabling, upsetting the natural order, or anything else, I do it because the Witch in me cannot stand by and watch any of the Goddess' creatures starve when we have more than enough. Most of these creatures have never seen a forest and don't know anything else. They could not hunt for food in a wild environment.

On a side note, I am glad that the Island project in Michigan is going well. Hopefully they will stay a healthy pack this time. As for them crossing the ice, if people are that concerned, can't they just take the Coast Guard cutters out and break the ice so that they have no means across?

Here in Florida, it is not uncommon to have an alligator show up in your pool. They will eat a hole in your patio screen and crawl right in.

In the last two years we have seen cougars here. Cougars, in Iowa? That's just wrong! They think they are coming here because of the deer population. In the city that I live in, the oldest cemetery here in town, there's been cougar tracks found and even claw marks found on trees in the area. Because this cemetery is so beautiful and peaceful, a lot of people who live in the area exercise there, running, jogging that sort of thing. There's been reports that some people have actually seen cougars in the area. When the DNR went to check it out, they claimed that they didn't see any tracks or signs of cougars, but warned people to watch their kids while they're out and to also watch their animals. It was a big controversy here for awhile because they had people on the news that saw this big cat with their own eyes, they showed the paw prints and everything. 

As far as what I have around here, I have skunks, raccoons, rabbits, possums. Which we've always had here in every neighborhood in town. But it's funny with the raccoons around here. We have a waste management business who picks up our garbage, instead of the city, so we have these big hard plastic bins. When you put the lid down on them, you can hear them throughout the neighborhood unless you slowly lower the lid.
Well, our raccoons are smart. They know how to get in and out of those garbage cans. One night I was in my living room and heard the garbage can lid open and then in a minute later it closed. I had a good idea what had taken place, so I very slowly and quietly opened the front door, and there sat on top of the garbage can, a big fat raccoon eating a piece of chicken. He just looked at me like it was no big deal and continued to eat his chicken he retrieved. LOL I have to admit, it was so cute! lol Especially since he left no mess around the garbage can!

I've noticed different migrations of animals in my as well, it is puzzling though because the population of the island is the smallest it has ever been. Since the 1800's. There has been very little human impact to the wilderness here simply because there are more people moving from the island for better opportunities. I myself have seen Moose which usually never stray from the highlands a few hours away, these moose have been running around small towns that haven't grown in size in 200 years.  They have only shrunk. We've also had a growing number of reports of black bears in the area which was never before heard of. I often am comforted by the predictable patterns of nature but these patterns have been thrown off here.

Moose are very reclusive. So the fact that you have moose running around, is quite alarming. I've been going up to Northern Minnesota since I was around 5 years old and I have never seen a moose. I would love to see one in it's natural habitat.

Oh and I forgot to mention, those who are interested in wolves, check out http://www.wolf.org
It's the International Wolf center in Ely, Minnesota. The pack up there are just beautiful. They also teach the public about wolves and living with them.
And I have a few pics in my profile of some of wolves they had in their pack the last time I was up there.
Oh and they have webcams on that site too! 

I had never ever seen a moose for 16 years on the island but now in the last 2 years I've seen about 20 moose, one of which was just out side of the town next to me and eventually ran in the town one morning and had to be relocated back to the highlands. No one can explain this move, their food source. is perfectly fine... It is just as if they got bored and decided collectively "Lets go on vacation".

LOL. When we lived in northern Michigan,( a small town called Leota, just outside of Harrison, ) if anybody knows where that is The town had a pet deer. Kid you not! His name was Sam. He was an orphan that wandered into town one day. Everybody just kind of took to him. He was welcome in every yard. Most of the people there were "snow birds". They only stayed there for the summer and left for winter. Yet I know of at least a few older couples who intentionally planted cabbages in their yards so that Sam and the other deer would have food for the winter while they were gone. The last time I talked to my stepfather's mother she said that Sam was a full grown 16 pointer who still came into town every spring to say" hi!". She knows it's him because he will still answer to his name when called and  still wears the remnants of a collar the kids gave him a few years ago. She says he is battle scarred but healthy.

I once saw a bumper sticker that sums up my feelings quite nicely:

"Humans aren't the only species on the planet. We just act like it."

I live in the Midwest, so I can give a little bit of insight on this topic.

The only thing that people need to worry about with coyotes is coyotes getting into their chicken coops.  As stated in this thread already, there really is not much they can do with cows and...if I may be brutally and ruthlessly honest here, let us face it: it is plain-out stupidity to keep your chicken coop open and vulnerable in the first place.  There are domesticated dogs that would likely find their way in there, too.  Some domesticated dogs are bred as natural hunters.  So, are we going to start killing those off, too?  I think people would be crying to the ASPCA and the Humane Societies out there in a heartbeat over that. 

But my opinions on the Midwest hunting aside, I am glad that wolves are no longer on the endangered species list.  Since we have fake fur, I really see no point in continuing to hunt them.  And if people use the excuse of hunting to protect livestock, I see a big difference between protecting livestock and actively hunting something.  It is like the difference between defending one's self and assault. 


Sincerely,
ResplendentSeraphim

I couldn't agree more! Whatever happened to the moral responsibility we have? Almost all religions around the world preach some form of moral responsibility. Whether they choose to abide by their own rules or not.

I actually had this conversation with a prominent businessman in Abilene, Kansas when we lived there. (Another place they would just as soon shoot a coyote as look at it.) I asked him how he could go to church every Sunday, claim to be a good Christian and still murder the animals his religion teaches he is supposed to protect as one of God's Creatures. He actually looked me in the eye and said that they were "Filthy, disease ridden **and%$@# and they all need to be put down."

Incidentally, this man did not own any animals of any kind. He lived in a huge house outside of Salina. Nothing around him but wheat fields.

A month after we had this conversation, he was arrested for shooting his nearest neighbors dogs ( who lived about 2 miles away) for "trespassing" of all things! He dumped the bodies (there were 4) on his neighbors doorstep and yelled at the man for not keeping his G** D***n dogs off his property.

*shakes head* I still don't get it. Whatever happened to the natural order of things? Don't these people realize that the wolves and coyotes are the only big predators in these areas? These are the same people who gripe about the mice and rats in the corn and wheat silos! If they would leave the wolves and coyotes alone, there wouldn't be as many rats!