Just last night I was walking around the farm after midnight and listened for 15 minutes to the yipping of a nearby coyote. I'm always excited to hear one and imagine the families playing and learning to hunt and care for themselves. However, I also find myself double checking the fence that surrounds the perimeter of our farm, hoping to avoid any encounters between my dogs and coyotes. The idea of pets getting hurt by any wildlife is unbearable, but the responsibility MUST begin with owners/caretakers.

People who want to protect their pets from wildlife (and human) threats need to keep their pets inside or allow them outside only when supervised. While I truly sympathize with the shock and loss that is felt when a pet is injured or killed by wildlife, saying that the pet would have been kept indoors if they'd known coyotes were present illustrates that many caretakers fail to consider the true dangers that exist for pets allowed to roam outside. Pets kept indoors are much safer; to do otherwise places the pets at risk from a laundry list of dangers (such as poisoning, cars, other dogs or cats, disease, abusive humans) most of which are more likely to be cause a real threat than coyotes. In fact, allowing pets to roam tends to create their own public safety challenges.

Killing coyotes due to the fear and/or ignorance of humans is inexcusable and heinous. They are intelligent and magnificent creatures that deserve the right to exist just as much as we and our pets do (maybe even more since their kind has been here much longer). I hope that 1) people with pets will take measures to create indoor living space to keep their best friends safe from not only wildlife threats, but also the more prevalent dangers of being kept outside and 2) that the Tolono Village Board will reconsider their trapping program, focusing rather on education and prevention rather than execution. A great place to start is the University of Illinois Extension's "Living with Wildlife" Website at: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/

Does Tolono have animal laws pertain only to dogs? If people were to allow their dogs to run free there would be a public uproar. But it seems it is ok for cats to roam free. Maybe the cats should be trapped and euthanized. That way the coyotes would not have a food supply and would return to the country side.

Re: the free roaming dog question--the County has a leash law for all of the smaller communities, but the Tolono village fathers, in their boundless wisdom, don't enforce it. Glad to see that the local powers that be are on top of the freaking coyotes...now if they could do something about closing businesses, juvenile delinquency, and their layabout public works employees, they'd be in good shape.

Please reconsider the trapping and killing of coyotes. They rarely present a threat to people, and only those that do should be eliminated. Citizens can help prevent problems by keeping small pets indoors (especially at night); and, by ensuring dog food, cat food, etc. is not left out to attract coyotes (and other wildlife). Secure trash to discourage nightly foraging, and consider eliminating "feeders" (birds, squirrels, etc.) that attract prey. Like most wildlife, coyotes will return to places where easy meals have been available. It goes without saying that one should never feed them. It is more humane, as well as less expensive, to change human behavior than to eliminate wildlife. Trapping and killing a few animals will not relieve the "problem." Wildlife is to be enjoyed......not killed.