Source: The Arizona Republic
The clash between desert critters and urban dwellers has taken a deadly turn with the shooting of a coyote at the Pebblebrook Golf Course, officials say.
The person responsible for the Jan. 19 killing has yet to be found, said Denise Babirak, human-resources manager for Recreation Centers of Sun City West, the golf-course operator.
It's not the first time a coyote has been killed on Valley links, Babirak said Friday. Last year, two pups were found shot dead at the Echo Mesa Golf Course.
And there have been other reports of people trying to shoot coyotes or rabbits, or taking a whack at them with golf clubs, she added.
Babirak described such conduct as sad and inexcusable, and also possibly criminal because of the use of firearms in an urban area.
"Coyotes learn how to get along with us," she said. "We've got to get along with them."
In 1997, a coyote was spotted tugging at the nightgown of a 16-month-old girl visiting a relative in Sun City West.
Such attacks are rare, even though coyote sightings are common in the Valley, said Joe Yarchin, an urban wildlife specialist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
"Coyotes are usually wary of humans and stay out of their way," he said.
People should never feed coyotes, because the animals become comfortable in approaching humans, he said.
Under Senate Bill 1349, a measure pending before the Legislature, it would become a Class 3 misdemeanor to feed Arizona wildlife. Birds and squirrels would be exempt under the proposed law.