For all the fuss about whether to trap and kill coyotes or let them wander around Arcadia while we keep pets and children inside, lock our trash cans and carry coins in tin cans to scare them away, it was a little surprising and disappointing to see so few people from Arcadia and even fewer city officials at a “Coyotes in Our Midst” presentation by wildlife experts last night (Tuesday, Nov. 30) at Ayres Hall of the L.A. County Arboretum.
by Scott Hettrick
The Mayor was the only representative I saw from the City of Arcadia, which sparked the controversy a few months ago when they responded to calls from many residents whose pets had been attacked, killed, and eaten, by ordering a trapper to capture coyotes and euthanize them.
On the positive side, I counted about 225 people in attendance, maybe there were as many as 250, counting the people coming in and out throughout the two-hour presentation, including the media (click here for video news story by KABC-7).
But anyone who expected a balanced forum or even a heated exchange from both sides had to be disappointed — this was a service where the experts and animal rights activists were preaching to the converted out-of-towners. That became clear when the speaker chastised City officials for not fulfilling their pledge to present their own informational forum. It was emphasized later when the program hosts finally invited the audience to ask questions after more than 90 minutes of talking about the value and misconceptions of coyotes, and how to alter your lifestyle to protect yourself from coyotes. There were more comments than questions, most imploring the City to stop trapping coyotes and many asking about similar issues in other cities such as Montebello.
Kudos to Mayor Peter Amundson for walking into the lions den despite championing the trapping of coyotes. He sat in the very back and left after more than an hour of sitting and listening in the cold room, as did others, including Arboretum CEO Richard Schulhof. The Mayor was also being coaxed outside by the media for his TV interview. He later told me that his goal was to remain an observer and not a participant. “I did not hear anything that was really different nor would change my mind,” he said in an e-mail. He too was frustrated by the lack of balance in the presentation or any consideration of the feelings of residents who are frightened when they see their pets eaten alive. Mayor Amundson says he realizes education is important — the city has sent extensive information to residents about how to live with and protect pets and children from coyotes, including a recent Arcadia Newsletter listing many of the exact same precautions detailed at the program last night. But while education alone may eventually be enough, until residents get that message, City officials are responsible for protecting and addressing the concerns of taxpayers moreso than concerns about protecting coyotes, he said.
Perhaps the Mayor would have been more compelled to alter his view if he would have recognized more concerned Arcadia residents in attendance, which he also noted. But then, he would have been the only city official there to notice.
— By Scott Hettrick