LOOMIS — A new proposal from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife aimed at curbing coyote killings is drawing mixed reactions.
The proposed rule would ban the killing of coyotes unless they pose an immediate threat to livestock. Supporters say it is a step forward in how we treat coyotes, but critics call it dangerous.
In the Northern California town of Loomis, Winter Holloway is doing everything she can to keep her goats safe.
"We've had coyote attacks, we've had mountain lions," Holloway said.
To protect her animals, she locks them up each night and uses motion-sensor lights. But when those precautions fall short, she takes matters into her own hands.
"My indoor dogs will alert me to things and my reaction is to go out with my gun because I assume coyotes every time," she said.
If approved, the new regulation would make that response more complicated.
Currently, coyotes can be killed at any time. The new rule would categorize them alongside bears and mountain lions, requiring a depredation permit, meaning proof that a coyote posed a verified threat.
"The whole idea that the coyote has to attack first and we have to prove it later, that's absolutely ridiculous," Holloway said.
In Colfax, wildlife rescue director Danielle Hanish sees it differently.
"It's important for people to remember that we actually moved into their home. They've been here for thousands of years," she said.
While she also worries about her animals, Hanish believes in non-lethal protection methods and that coyotes should not be killed indiscriminately or for sport.
"There's a lot of ways to mitigate human-wildlife conflict with coyotes without having to kill them," she added.
The proposal had been briefly paused following public backlash, but it's back on the table. The Department of Fish and Wildlife will revisit the rule at a public meeting scheduled for May 15.
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