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Myth of the South Texas Superpredator Laid to Rest
 Myth
of the South Texas Superpredator Laid to Rest
by Greg Harman, Education & Advocacy Coordinator
Recent news reports have been misleading Texans
about the threat posed by coyotes and other predators. Supposed
super-predators have been fleeing drought in South Texas,
according to news accounts, and making their way into the
Hill Country — a sort of demonic exodus that area biologists
dispute is occurring.
It's a terrifying vision: angry Tejano coyotes
laying waste to farmed animals, native wildlife, and even
entire hunting enterprises. Thankfully, it was only a gross
exercise in hyperbole and error.
Yes, there are a few ranches in South Texas
that have experienced low numbers of deer births this season,
but the regional deer population is on par with the surrounding
areas, according to state wildlife officials. And the deer
populations in area counties — like Texas on the whole
— are booming.
 According
to Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas hasn't seen its deer
population crash since it started keeping records. The biggest
impact on deer population is anthrax, of which we had the
most destructive outbreak as recently as 2001. However, deer
herds are so healthy in Texas that it was only three years
later that the state was encouraging people to shoot the does
to help put the brakes on the population.
Suggestions that a ban on lethal toxicants
in 1972 was responsible for a surge in predator populations
and a "decline in once-common sheep and goat operations
— as well as fewer deer, turkeys and other game"
— are obviously far out of line.
It was the loss of subsidies that reduced
our "once-common" sheep and goat operations in Texas.
This shift did thankfully reduce the number
of traps and bullets tearing coyotes apart, but wildlife
biologists insist that the principal reason for any decline
in wild bird populations is the loss of habitat due to human
population growth and development decisions, read: Sprawl.
While predation can play a role on a seasonal
basis in localized areas, it is land fragmentation, reduction
of wildfire, and the introduction of exotic grasses that play
by far the largest role in any declines here.
And so coyotes have once more been targeted
and blamed not only for a few lost lives, but for past human
failures and the future jeopardy of area exotic hunting industries.
The larger, factual (and more fascinating)
story is how these animals have not only adapted but thrived
as they have been systematically targeted with the intention
of wiping them off the face of the earth. That would be a
story that could inspire readers about a remarkable and too-often-blamed
creature some Native American cultures know as "God's
Dog."
 Responsible
and protective ranchers have employed various tactics to protect
their lambs and kids for a long time. Vigilant guard animals
like dogs and donkeys have proven themselves indispensable
the world over. Ranchers have learned how to adjust their
breeding cycles and to pen their animals at particular times
of the year to reduce the likelihood of predator attacks on
young. These days, more resources then ever before are available
to reduce predation: plastic collars, for instance, prevent
coyotes from being able to easily grasp and kill sheep, and
electronic alarms have been proven to reduce sheep losses
by up to 60 percent.
When it comes to nature and wildlife, interdependence
is more than a buzzword. It is a lesson for each of us. As
we witness, for the first time in our shared history, the
human altering of our global climate and watch with trepidation
for the signs to come, we still have much to learn about this
Earth and its wondrous creatures.
By prizing the resourcefulness of those around
us, by learning from the creatures of the Earth, we can enter
this uncertain future better equipped for what is to come.
Hopefully, we can leave the bullets and steel traps behind.
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