Letter: Resident Starts Petition Against Middletown's Plan to Hire Coyote Gun

When I read the that is being proposed by the Middletown Town Council, I was seriously sick to my stomach.

Ignorance has caused this to come to this point, as the Narraganset Coyote Project presented a plan to the city last year that could have gotten the population under control.

I have done a good bit of research on the coyote issue and I know for a fact that the killing by the hunter which is scheduled to take place beginning in April is by no means going to eliminate the problem. Killing a coyote is like mowing the grass. When one is killed, they self populate to simply replace that.

There is a plan in place to humanely handle this situation, which the Town Council members need to look at again. My heart goes out to the family that lost their beloved Labrador retriever and those other families that have lost pets due to this situation. I am an avid animal lover and have several pets, but if my dog was killed by a coyote, I would not want to see that animal destroyed.

Right now as much as we may not like it, people need to keep their pets inside and walk them when needed. Not everybody is in favor of the killing of the coyotes. Right now it is about 50-50. I plan to start a petition to be presented at the next meeting on this subject, which will be held Monday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in Middletown Town Hall. The hunter is due to start shooting as soon as April 5.

I don't understand how they can work out the issues involved before it takes place. People also need to know if they feed pets outside such as cats and dogs, this is the same as feeding the coyotes and it causes them to stay where they are. Since this killing that is scheduled to take place is not going to eliminate coyotes on the Island, why kill them at all? I have a business on 523 Thames Street, Vintage to Vogue, and I will be starting a petition there and welcome those against this plan to come in to sign it, or, start one of their own and submit it as well.

An online petition is available at:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/15/stop-the-killing-of-coyotes-in-rhode-island/

Shana Gaines
Newport Resident