You’ve heard it, or you know someone who has. A chorus of yips and a long, quivering cry that cuts through the night. It’s a sound that splits opinion: to some, it’s the song of a wild spirit; to others, the call of a pest that needs to be eliminated.
This division is at the heart of America’s relationship with its native carnivores. And it’s exactly the battle Project Coyote is fighting to change. They aren’t just saving animals; they’re working to rewild the American mind.
More Than a Name: A Symbol of Resilience
Let’s be clear: Project Coyote’s mission extends far beyond a single species. They champion the bobcat slinking through a canyon, the wolf restoring balance to a valley, the fox that vanishes like smoke into the woods.
But the coyote is their perfect standard-bearer. It is the ghost at the edge of our suburban lights, the ultimate survivor. While we’ve pushed other predators to the brink, the coyote has not just endured; it has expanded its empire. It is a living testament to nature’s stubborn will to persist. And for that, we have punished it relentlessly.
The American War on the Coyote
We have waged a brutal, century-long war against the coyote, using tactics that belong in a darker time:
· Wildlife Killing Contests: Where participants rack up body counts for cash and prizes, treating intelligent, complex creatures as living targets.
· Cyanide Bombs (M-44s): A device that literally booby-traps the landscape, poisoning the intended victim and any other animal—or family dog—unlucky enough to trigger it.
· Aerial Gunning and Indiscriminate Trapping: Methods that are not only cruel but scientifically bankrupt.
Project Coyote confronts this brutality head-on. They are the voice in the courtroom and the state legislature, armed with law and science, arguing that this slaughter is not only immoral but doesn’t even work.
The Coexistence Paradox: Why Killing Coyotes Backfires
Here is the inconvenient truth that drives Project Coyote’s science-based advocacy: you cannot shoot your way to a safer ecosystem.
When coyotes are persecuted intensively, their packs fracture. This triggers a biological response: younger females breed more often, having larger litters to compensate for the population pressure. The newcomers, no longer guided by stable pack structures, often move into the vacant territories… which are frequently closer to human homes.
The very action meant to “control” them often creates the problem it seeks to solve. Project Coyote doesn’t just point out this failure; they provide the solution.
The Toolkit for Coexistence
Project Coyote is the architect of a new blueprint for living with wildlife. Their work provides the practical tools for this new reality:
· For Ranchers: Guardian livestock dogs, fladry (flagging on fences), and strategic night-penning.
· For Homeowners: Coyote rollers on fences, secure trash cans, and the simple act of hazing—teaching coyotes to maintain a healthy fear of humans.
· For Communities: Education that replaces fear with understanding, showing that a coyote crossing a soccer field isn’t a threat looking for trouble, but a resident going about its life.
They are building a world where a coyote sighting doesn’t have to end with a call to a trapper, but can be a moment of awe and a reminder to bring the pets inside.
The Ripple Effect of a Single Howl
Protecting the coyote isn’t just about one animal. It’s about the entire ecosystem it supports. By controlling rodent and rabbit populations, coyotes protect crops and curb the spread of disease. By keeping mesopredators like skunks and raccoons in check, they inadvertently protect ground-nesting birds. A landscape with a stable coyote population is a healthier, more vibrant place.
When you protect the most persecuted, you raise the standard for all. The laws Project Coyote helps pass to ban cruel contests protect foxes and bobcats. The coexistence strategies they teach for coyotes apply to cougars and bears.
Your Role in This New Story
The howl isn’t a challenge; it’s an invitation. An invitation to be part of a continent that is still wild at heart. Project Coyote has laid the groundwork, but the future of this story depends on us.
You can answer that call.
1. Become a Myth-Buster. Share the science. When a neighbor speaks from fear, offer the facts of coexistence.
2. Support the Shift. Follow Project Coyote. Donate if you can. Their work in courtrooms and statehouses is what turns the tide from cruel management to compassionate conservation.
3. Live Coexistence. Secure your trash, haze respectfully, and talk to your community about installing coyote rollers.
The coyote has proven it can survive without us. The question Project Coyote forces us to ask is a more profound one: Can we learn to live with them? The answer will define not just their future, but the wild soul of our own.