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By: Brentney Hamilton<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t scared the first time I saw a coyote in Plano. I\nwas perplexed. The poor bag of bones sauntered past my house while I was\nholding my newborn and waiting for an Uber to take my father-in-law back to his\nhotel. He opted then to slip back into the house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
City slicker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can take the girl out of the country \u2013 as they did in\n2002 when I arrived at SMU from a North Texas town, population 200 \u2013 but you\ncan\u2019t take the country out of the girl. Coyotes, I knew, were more scared of us\nthan we were of them. They didn\u2019t attack unprovoked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until they did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the fall of 2018, a Frisco coyote attacked humans and\npets six times before being caught in December; several of the victims were\ntrailed and preyed upon while running. Officials initially thought the bad-seed\ncoyote had been eradicated until another person was attacked the following\nmonth. It\u2019s clear. As D-FW rapidly expands in every direction, we are\nencroaching on habitats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Urban coyotes aren\u2019t new to North Texas but, like us, they\nare adapting to the rapidly shifting environment. Still, as Texas Parks and\nWildlife urban biologist Sam Kieschnick told The Dallas Morning News <\/em>in\nearly 2019, violent attacks are rare and unexpected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most interactions will proceed without incident, but area\nrunners should be reasonably leery, even those of us with country roots. What\nshould you do if you encounter potentially threatening wildlife on a run? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Coyotes and Bobcats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Urban Coyote Initiative, the best course of\naction is to \u201cstand tall and assertive.\u201d Stop in your tracks. Pause your\nGarmin. (Kidding.) \u201cMaintain eye contact\u201d and \u201cdo not turn your back \u2026 and do\nnot run.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, \u201chaze the coyote until it leaves.\u201d The site says\nthat keeping coyotes afraid of humans is in everyone\u2019s best interest. Yell,\nclap, stomp, flash your headlamp, toss water from your bottle, or rustle your\njacket. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Be aware of your surroundings. If you are near a den,\nparticularly during breeding and pupping season (Feb. \u2013 July), the animals may\nbe more defensive, according to the site. Back away from the area. You may be\nfollowed until you are far enough from the habitat for the coyote\u2019s comfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, don\u2019t run outside with earphones. Just don\u2019t, ever.\nAnd, if you run with a dog, be sure it is leashed or that you are able to leash\nit quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (More at urbancoyoteinitiative.com and dfwurbanwildlife.com.)\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Snakes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Stop and let that bb do its thing. Seriously. Whether a\nsnake is venomous matters not. The best course of action is to slowly and gingerly\ntake the long way around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s easier on the wide pathway of an urban trail or\nsidewalk, but less so on a single-track, so trail runners may find themselves\nwaiting it out. Many snakes will high-tail it out of the way, anyhow, but if one\nin your path is coiled or writhing in place, it indicates the animal feels\nthreatened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Back away slowly. If you\u2019re hiking or running with poles,\nkeep one between you and snake, as that might confuse a striking snake, the\nWashington Trails Association says. Because snakes usually sense runners\ncoming, bites are extremely rare, but in an unlikely emergent event, stop and\nrest to decrease your heart rate and blood flow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (More at wta.org.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cattle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You might not see many loose bulls along the shores of White\nRock Lake. But, imagine my delight to come across the descendants of LBJ\u2019s\nHerefords during a Hill Country road trip. I grew up running in pastures. Felt\nlike home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, many of us in the outerskirts of D-FW find ourselves\ntraining on rock roads in rural Collin or Tarrant counties where cows\noccasionally mosey through a broken fence. Beautiful though these domesticated\nanimals may be, one does not want to find herself on the business end of a\nmassive beef tank any more than a coyote, bobcat, or a snake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Heifers with calves may behave aggressively if they feel\nthreatened; if so, stand tall and extend your arms as you back away. Become as\n\u201cbig\u201d as possible. Mom and baby cow are likely to both split. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bulls are a different story. Don\u2019t make sudden movements,\nwhich may be seen as a challenge and invite chase. Keep your eyes on the bull\nat all times and ease away from the \u201cflight zone\u201d — about 20 feet in range,\naccording to late scholar Jack Albright, a renowned cattle behaviorist. Try to\nput something \u2013 a tree or fence \u2013 between you and the animal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you see a bull display its broad side, it is signaling\nits strength and girth. \u201cIf an opponent such as another bull (or person)\nwithdraws to about 20 feet, the encounter will subside, and the bull will turn\naway,\u201d Albright wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words: Don\u2019t try to get a selfie unless there\u2019s a\nfence between you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (You can run with LBJ\u2019s cows, too. Find them here:\nnps.gov\/lyjo.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Brentney Hamilton I wasn\u2019t scared the first time I saw a coyote in Plano. I was perplexed. The poor bag of bones sauntered past my house while I was holding my newborn and waiting for an Uber to take my father-in-law back to his hotel. He opted then to slip back into the house. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,548,549],"yoast_head":"\n