My experience with coyotes is limited. That said, I have some familiarity. Coyotes have killed more of my grandmother’s cats than I can count. They have stolen my mother’s chickens in broad daylight, stalking through our yard, swiping them up, and bringing them back to dens unknown. I have watched them cross intersections in the bright of my car’s headlights, their bodies loping and hunched like dogs in the wind. However, I have never laid eyes on a dead coyote. And I hope I never will.

Maine has yet to ban coyote killing contests, despite the cruel and malicious nature of this masquerading “sport.” I implore voters to contact their state representatives and encourage them to support an upcoming bill: “An Act to Prohibit Coyote Killing Contests.”

Coyotes are a vital part of Maine’s ecosystem. They have as much of a right to live here as the rest of us, and there is no credible science to support that their extermination would effectively manage Maine’s wildlife. In fact, the killing of coyotes further complicates wildlife restoration efforts, as it damages the delicate predator-prey relationship that is essential as humans encroach on natural spaces.

I do not blame coyotes for eating my grandmother’s cats and my mother’s chickens. They do not kill maliciously and, despite their occasionally ominous presence, they pose no threat to humans. The same cannot be said for humans posing a threat to them.

Coyotes have a purpose, and it is not to be killed for our amusement.

Madison Ellingsworth
Portland