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There are more and more reports of wild animals revising their territorial boundaries. In Now Smyrna Beach, Florida, bobcats have been seen roaming near housing developments, according to clickorlando.com. Although they are beautiful animals, people in the area are concerned. although bobcats are generally satisfied with smal animals such as rats, squirrels and rabbits, they have been known to go after domesticated animals.
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Meanwhile, up north, there has been a report of coyotes in New York City. The New York Post reports as follows about coyotes being seen in Central Park and near Columbia University.
"Wile E. Coyote and friends are invading Manhattan.
Three coyotes turned up on the Columbia University campus on Sunday morning, prompting an e-mail alert to students and faculty.
A few hours later, a coyote was spotted darting around bushes and across a frozen lake in Central Park.
Urban coyote authorities say the dogs will likely be seen more and more in big cities as they fight one another for living space."
Scientists who study the animals say that coyotes in urban settings will probably be a more frequent occurrence as expanding coyote and human populations start to overlap. I hope that the coyotes will make it o Brooklyn. Whenever there s a lot of heavy construction, the underground habitations of rats are disrupted, and they are more frequently seen on the streets. Coyotes tend to steer clear of humans. The same can not be said for rats, who are not shy about setting up house in apartment buildings and homes. Rats can on rare occasions attack as a pack, or attack humans if they feel cornered. I think that migrating coyotes might enjoy a meal of Brooklyn rat meat.
There is one general rule that one should follow with strange dogs. I would follow the same rule with bobcats as well. Never engage in prolonged direct eye contact. Dogs see prolonged direct eye contact as aggressive behavior and will respond accordingly. keeping a watchful eye on an animal should be done with sensitivity to how it is perceived by the animal.
What will be very interesting will be when coyotes start interbreeding with domesticated animals. What will the offspring be like in terms of appearance and behavior?
You would be surprised which animals are threatening to humans. I went with my family to visited relatives in New Jersey a couple of summers ago . We were all looking forward to seeing deer in fields and in the woods. anyone raised on Bambi has a very benign image of deer. We were warned to be careful about giving deer ticks a free meal. Deer ticks are transmitted not only by direct contact with deer but even indirectly, when a deer tick that dropped off in a field reattaches itself to a passing human. We were told to tuck our pants into our socks and to be careful going through tall grass.
I would rather have Wylie Coyote as a neighbour than Bambi. The wife of a friend of mine actually got Lyme disease from a deer tick. Until it was diagnosed, it was very unpleasant. people suffer with it for a while because it is not the first thing a doctor will test for.
I sort of welcome wild animals. I admire them from a distance. I leave them alone and they leave me alone. Most of the time, it's people that make me nervous. People and dogs with bad owners. That's what scares me. I hope the coyotes come to Brooklyn real soon.
Reprinted with permission from rudistettner.com
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