Dear Friends and Neighbors,
My name is Christy Kennedy Bosarge and our dear sweet cat, Zaya, was attacked by a coyote eight feet from our front door on E Parkwood Rd at 11:45 a.m. on Monday, October 31, 2011. In spite of my yelling in rage, the coyote was not deterred in the least. Fifteen minutes before the attack, a mother and child left my house through the same front door.
The number of coyote sightings in addition to the number of lost small pets, is increasing in our community. My concern is:
- We do not have a system for keeping up with the impact coyotes are having in our community.
- We do not have an effective educational program in place that informs current and new community members a) that the coyotes exist and b) what we all individually should be doing to minimize their presence in our neighborhoods
- Coyotes have already become even more invasive and threatening in northern metro Atlanta communities than what we are experiencing here in the Decatur area.
- There is no plan to control or manage the presence of coyotes in our community.
In an effort to increase the awareness of the negative impact that coyotes are having on our lives and the urgency of this problem, my husband and I will be sharing the above concerns with the City of Decatur commissioners on Monday, Dec 5th at 7:30 p.m. and invite all neighbors to join us in this meeting. Because Coyotes are known to travel as far as 10 miles per day, I feel that it is reasonable that neighbors who live within a 10 mile radius of E. Parkwood Road attend. What happens in my backyard effects yours and vice versa.
As a part of my presentation to the council, I would like to share a slide show of all pets who are suspected or known to be victims of a coyote. All neighbors who live within 10 miles of E. Parkwood Road are invited, therefore, to email me an image of their coyote-related lost pet to help emphasize the reality of our loss. Pictures of family members with their pets will help drive home the emotional loss that we have experienced.
Please visit https://sites.google.com/site/coyotesindecatur/ to submit your information. I will also include your pet’s photo in my presentation, if you email it to me before December 1.
You may also be interested in knowing that trapper Chip Elliot will be present to answer any questions related to coyotes and management in our urban communities.
I hope you can personally attend the Monday, Dec 5th meeting in City Hall and ask that you share this email with your neighbors so that we may all come together to respectfully share our concerns and begin a dialogue about how to manage the growing threat of coyotes in our community.
Sincerely,
Christy Kennedy Bosarge
City Hall is located in downtown Decatur “on the square” 509 N. McDonough, next door to Eddie’s attic and across from the Court House and Chick Fil. The entrance to the meeting is on the backside of the City Hall building. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m..
Parkwood Garden Club 