wily

Coyotes have been in the news now and again the past few years in Chicago because naturalists and other researchers have noticed how well they're adapting to city life. So today when the NY Times included an article about a recent study tracking coyote behavior in Chicago suburbs, it wasn't that new.

About the newest information was that the coyotes are eating Canada geese eggs, which is keeping the population of these foul fowl down, which is great. The article also was fresh in its canny and sometimes funny approach, especially the observation that these efficient predators won't bother people as long as we don't feed them:

"Leave nothing tasty outside in an open trash can or food dish, and definitely nothing small and fluffy at the end of a leash."

Yes!

The coyote is now hero in the urban environment, ridding us of, or at least keeping in check, such nuisance animals as ever-pooping Canada geese, maybe rats (don't know for sure) and other rodents, like rabbits that feed on expensive park landscaping, and a much, much worse varmint: the much-hated yappy dog!

Shih Tzus beware!