With anecdotal "dozens" of coyotes living in San Francisco's wooded areas, it's hardly a surprise to see one of the canines in a local park. And yet, a pair (or more?) of coyotes that's appeared in the Buena Vista Park has attracted some recent attention.
Mom & dad coyotes in Buena Vista park in San Francisco Definitely improves the nabe pic.twitter.com/DnRvyHOEYk
— Marshall Kilduff (@marshallkilduff) January 23, 2017
Describing the pair as "Mom & dad coyotes," Chron editorial writer Marshall Kilduff tweeted a photo of the Haight-area pair yesterday. Kilduff, who history might remember as the man who penned an article instrumental in driving Jim Jones' infamous Peoples Temple from San Francisco to Guyana, said that the coyotes' presence "Definitely improves the nabe."
SFist assistant editor Caleb Pershan, who history might remember as the reporter punished by our Dear Leader's Alternative Facts Squad for accusing the President of of whining, reports that he also saw at least one of the coyotes in late December, in the same area Kilduff spotted them this week. He even took some all-too-brief video, which he asked me to tell you was vertically shot because it was originally an Instagram "story," which requires video be shot in that format. ("I'm not a noob," he says).
Though coyotes are doglike (look at this one chase a ball!) please do remember that they are wild animals, not sweater-wearing lap chihuahuas. Attacks by coyotes on domestic animals are regularly reported in the city (and don't even get me started on their failure to pay taxes). As a Buena Vista Park neighbor (who declined to be named) told Pershan at the time of his sighting, "Come to Buena VIsta Park, there is a social coyote there, everyone knows that this is an on-leash park, but we're still having problems getting people in line to keep their dogs on leash."
"if we're going to peacefully co-exist with this animal, then dog owners need to be vigilant, which means keeping your dog on leash or under voice control," she told Pershan. If pet guardians follow that simple rule, she said, "that animal can roam here, it can forage, it can live peacefully with us and we can live peacefully with it."
Previously: Bernal Hill Coyote Plays With Ball Just Like One Of The Dogs