We can't stop reading articles about the zoological perils of living in South San Jose! We've now done more articles on this than we have on San Francisco political scandals! Truly, as our English teacher said in high school when we were reading Moby Dick, "Life is all about the struggle between man and nature." (SFist's high school teacher was then subsequently fired for having an affair with a student.)

So it turns out that one of the main draws of the Almaden Valley subdivisions in San Jose are their proximity to beautiful nature -- squirrels, birds, deer, and every now and then, even a wild turkey. Neighbors would leave out birdfeeders, feed the feral cats and squirrels, and revel in the beauties of our California habitat. One resident noted that one day there were about 200 geese on his block. "It was hilarious," he said.

Those of you paying attention in ecology class (or who watch Pardon the Interruption), though, have two words for us: Food -- and Chain. So the birds and the deer and the squirrels attracted large-tusked wild boars, which would tear up homeowners' lawns like a rototiller. The wild boars and the deer then attracted larger predators, like bobcats and coyotes. So now, as we've been faithfully reporting, the coyotes are now to the point where residents have seen them stalking pet cats, dogs, and even a grandchild or two.

Neighbors are now whipped up into a frenzy -- they were denied the right to use leg traps to catch the coyotes, and the coyotes are just too darn wily to go into the big box traps the residents have set out. Animal advocates have suggested that people sprinkle cayenne pepper on their lawns. Dude, it seems that if the coyotes wants to eat your plump German shepherd and your cute little 6-year-old, a little hot sauce isn't going to stop 'em -- but hey, SFist is not an animal control officer. One resident says, "I'd like to be hopeful, but the coyotes aren't going to pack up and leave. As far as I'm concerned, they can start paying association fees."

As a side note, this neighborhood sounds awesome. Check out this quote from the article: "'I've been approached by a coyote walking down this street in the middle of the day,' [a neighbor] said as he hosed down his driveway and shouted at a driver to obey the 15 mph speed limit."