Coyote Snaring | Teen Ink

Coyote Snaring MAG

By Anonymous

     In recent years, coyote snaring has become acontroversial topic in Maine. Proponents say that snares decrease the number ofcoyotes, which is an outright lie, and also that snares are not a threat tonon-target species, another common misconception. In fact, snares kill many otherspecies, including lynx, bald eagles and deer - the very species that trappersare attempting to "save."

Trappers argue that they are helpingdeer by keeping coyotes at bay. If coyotes ever were a threat to the deerpopulation - which they never were, I can assure you - then their remarkableadaptation to increase the number of pups in a litter when threatened, would doomthe entire deer population. Of course, the idea of coyote eliminating deer ispreposterous. Coyotes primarily eat rodents. The deer they do kill are ill orelderly and would not survive another winter.

Snares are stranglingdevices: wire loops contract over an animal's neck and cut off the flow of air,strangling the animal over a number of days. Snares have also been known to stopthe jugular vein from eliminating used blood, while the artery continues tosupply the brain with blood. The animal's head swells until excruciating pain ora rupture in the brain finally ends the animal's torture.

Every year thestate spends $20,000 on the snaring program, money that could be much betterused. I say, let nature take its course and see how things work out. Trappers aresnaring coyotes because they think they are killing "their" deer, butout of 100 snared coyotes, only four had deer contents in theirstomachs.

In parts of Maine, the deer population is declining. This couldhave nothing to do with coyotes and instead be a result of the fact that deerhave trouble finding cover in the harsh winters, as well as that Maine is thenorthernmost range for white-tailed deer. In other areas of the state, however,the deer population is overabundant, and potentially posing a threat to theirsurroundings.

If anything, coyotes help the deer species by killing thesick and giving hunters and trappers better prospects. They help keep diseasefrom spreading through the deer population. If anything, coyotes are the saints,not the sinners.



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This article has 6 comments.


i love this so much!

on May. 21 2014 at 7:48 pm
mylifeasapincushion GOLD, Redlands, California
14 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Extremist have shown what frightens them most: A girl with a book&quot;<br /> -Malala Yousafzai

Killing all of anything is wrong, and also no human has been killed by a coyote since 1970.

on May. 21 2014 at 7:46 pm
mylifeasapincushion GOLD, Redlands, California
14 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Extremist have shown what frightens them most: A girl with a book&quot;<br /> -Malala Yousafzai

No... Just no, there is no way any animal has ever driven its prey to a lake just to watch it drown! Kill all of anything is wrong and you trolls need to stop acting like you know what you're talking about

coyotekiller said...
on Mar. 1 2011 at 3:46 pm
You have no idea of whats going on out in the woods of maine right now.A pack of coyotes are killing a deer every day and a half.They are also killing 80% of deer fawns being born each spring.They are killers of the night,wait til some little kid gets nabed off the lawn.I say kill them all.

thebiggame said...
on Dec. 1 2010 at 6:42 pm
wow if only saw the pictures from northern maine of 20 or 30 deer that were driven out onto a frozen lake and then slaughtered by coyotes. and they didn't even eat the deer, just killed them all, took a few bites, then left. but I suppose all those deer were all going to die anyway.

kennedy said...
on Nov. 29 2010 at 9:42 pm
Kid, you dont know the first thing about trapping.  There is no possible way a deer or a freakin bald eagle is getting in a snare.  How do you know they do? Because you read it on the internet somewhere?  Do your homework before you post ridiculous drek like this.