I enjoyed the well-written article by Amy Carey in the March 1 Beachcomber (“Take action to protect animals: Install good fences and be mindful of pets”).

I would like to address a couple of items in that article. It states that “killing coyotes or raccoons as nuisance wildlife is prohibited unless non-lethal measures have been actively pursued, and predation or damage must be actively occurring.” Those are the rules without a hunting license. It is legal to kill coyotes year-round and raccoons from September through mid-March as long as an individual has a hunting license.

The article cites a study that “found little evidence that killing predators accomplishes the goal of protecting domestic animals.”

There have been many studies with varied findings, but the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife states on their Living with Wildlife website that: “In suburban areas of Southern California, trapping and euthanizing coyotes has been shown not only to remove the individual problem animal, but also to modify the behavior of the local coyote population. When humans remove a few coyotes, the local population may regain its fear of humans.”

Again, I enjoyed the article and appreciate the good information, just wanted to clear up a couple of items and show opposing viewpoints.

Thank you.

— Bob Townley