Coyotes a growing concern on the island
To the editor:
Last week an article ran about the coyote found on Pine Island Road. All you cat and small dog owners need to be very careful due to the coyote population on Pine Island. A month ago, I found a dead coyote on the road between Pine Island Cove and Turtle Trail. They are all over our island now. At one time, we had two feral colonies living behind the Winn-Dixie Plaza. They were all destroyed by coyotes – even the raccoons are gone from that area.
And coyotes are not the only problem on the island. We also have some humans that do not want cats walking on their property an around their neighborhood. They have taken it upon themselves to bait and trap the cats then dump them off in a remote area. This is cruel, as the cats are not use to living on their own and dangerous because of the coyotes.
A woman that lives at Tropical Isle Travel Resort was seen leaving the resort with an all black, long haired cat in a cage strapped to the back of her bike. She returned awhile later without the cat.
Then there is a couple that live on Springfield who set out traps to catch cats that come on their property and relocate them as well. They seem to think nothing is wrong with them doing this.
So folks, if you love your cats, I would advise you to convert them to indoor cats, as the coyotes are going to continue to increase as they have no natural enemies and I’m afraid the mean and hateful people are not going to change their opinion either.
Edith Schulte
Bokeelia