LETTER: Cliff the Coyote's Death Sentence Should Never Have Been an Option

To the editor:

I was utterly shocked to read that there was a death warrant out for Cliff the coyote, and now I'm thrilled he will not be killed. First, let's get two things straight. Cliff did not become domesticated, but rather socialized, accustomed to the presence of humans. Domestication is an evolutionary process -- a domesticated wolf is called a dog -- whereas socialization occurs when animals get used to us when they encounter us in their or our homes.

Cliff also was not going to be euthanized, but rather killed. Euthanasia refers to mercy killing, like when we put our companion animals "to sleep." Cliff surely isn't terminally ill nor in interminable pain. Simply put, he's become a "problem" because of us. Using the word "euthanized" is an attempt to sanitize that he was to be intentionally killed when found. People don't like to hear that he was to be killed or, some might say, murdered. Cliff is a feeling, sentient being, who experiences a wide range of emotions, just like the dogs with whom we share our homes. Many people have suggested that the word "murder" should be extended to nonhuman animals when they are hunted down and killed.

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There was absolutely no reason to kill Cliff. A newspaper report indicated he was watching after pups who need his care and eating food given to him by humans. As in so many other instances when a wild animal becomes a "problem," we're to blame. I've had a few emails about this, one person asking something like if experts go out and kill "problem" coyotes, why can't I?

I hope that killing so-called "problem animals" will soon become an option of the past. It sets a horrific example that basically says if an animal becomes a "problem" because of us, go ahead and kill him or her. No worries, they're merely disposable objects. Indeed, they are not. And what a terrible example for youngsters, who should learn about humane education and the need for peaceful coexistence in an increasingly human-dominated world. Animals such as Cliff are not unique, are becoming increasingly common as we trespass into their homes without a care in the world, and they deserve to live. Indeed, most try to avoid us, but it's almost impossible because we are here, there, and everywhere.

The life of every single individual matters and we suffer the indignities to which we subject other animals. Let's close down the killing fields and strive for peaceful coexistence with the other animals with whom we share space and time. People must accept responsibility for what they do to attract animals to their homes, and can't just keep killing them because they take advantage of what we do.

Marc Bekoff, Ph.D. (marcbekoff.com)

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Colorado, Boulder

Advisory Board, Project Coyote -- projectcoyote.org