- Target:
- Congresswoman Nita Lowey and State Assemblyman David Buchwald
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.facebook.com
Residents of the Town of New Castle want to stop coyote trapping by the NYS DEC and USDA Wildlife Services, that they believe will negatively impact the safety of their community and disrupt the balance of nature in their local ecosystem.
Due to a recent attack on a dog in one of New Castle's communities, Random Farms, as well as numerous reports of coyote sightings, the Board of Directors of Random Farms Homeowners Association sought and was granted permission to trap coyotes. While the NYS DEC did not issue the permit, they referred the homeowners association to the USDA Wildlife Services which now has a permit in place.
Many residents in the Town of New Castle are opposed to trapping of coyotes, since it is done in an inhumanely way where the trapped coyote is euthanized by a shot to the head. If you believe that we can co-exist and implement more humane solutions to peacefully deter coyotes and redirect them, please sign this petition.
Here are additional resources with facts on coyotes and how to co-exist with them:
humanesociety.org/animals/coyotes/
projectcoyote.org/resources/
Dear Elected Representatives:
We are residents of the Town New Castle and have signed the attached petition in urgent opposition to the NYS DEC and USDA Wildlife Services use of animal traps in The Town of New Castle that we believe will negatively impact the safety of our community and could disrupt the balance of nature here in our local ecosystem.
Random Farms Homeowners Association, a private homeowner association in New Castle, has entered into an agreement with the USDA Wildlife Services to use cruel and inhumane traps to capture and kill coyotes in their neighborhood. It is illegal to relocate coyotes in NYS, so the coyotes will be euthanized on site: After they are captured, they are killed with a bullet shot to the head.
Many residents in New Castle are outraged at this news - having no input into this decision - and many of the homeowners in Random Farms didn't learn of the trapping until after the agreement with Wildlife Services was signed.
We are writing to express our disapproval and urge you to please use the power of your authority as our elected local, state, and national representatives to please STOP THE TRAPPING IN RANDOM FARMS IMMEDIATELY before any coyotes are killed. Time is of the essence. The traps have apparently already been set.
We are fortunate to live in the woods among all sorts of wildlife who comprise the beautiful, rich, healthy, plush environment around us. We must learn to peacefully coexist with these animals - as they each have a beneficial role to play.
Here are the primary reasons the trapping needs to stop as soon as possible:
1) Trapping/Removing Coyotes Does Not Work - It's Ineffective and Counterintuitive: It destabilizes the coyote population -- leading to more breeding and more coyotes.
2) Coyote Pups Will Be Orphaned: It's coyote "pupping season" - their pups are still nursing and are just leaving the dens now - many could be orphaned and left to fend for themselves and will likely die if their parents are trapped and killed. And coyote pups that haven't been properly socialized by their parents are known to act out and cause more problems later, so it's in everyone's interest to keep their parents alive to raise them properly.
3) Trapped Coyotes Suffer Extreme Psychological and Physical Harm: Trapping is an archaic, barbaric, and cruel practice - coyotes can be left in traps in terror to suffer for hours on end.
4) Traps Do Not Discriminate: There is very real danger that other types of wild animals, beloved pets, and even a child could accidentally be trapped and injured.
5) There Are Countless Other Approaches That Are Not Lethal and More Effective Ways To Prevent Conflicts With Coyotes: There are many more humane solutions - including bringing in a behavioral ecologist who is a coyote expert skilled in peacefully deterring coyotes and redirecting them.
Trapping and destroying coyotes sends a terrible message to our children about how to deal with conflict. Let's find better strategies so that we can peacefully coexist with these animals. They are here to stay and we need to find safe, effective approaches to live side by side in the woods that we all call home.
Thank you so much for your prompt attention and action.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Stop Coyote Trapping petition to Congresswoman Nita Lowey and State Assemblyman David Buchwald was written by Town of New Castle Residents Against Coyote Trapping and is in the category Neighborhood Living at GoPetition.