Coyote knocking at my door
In our attempt to put nature in order, a versatile animal teaches us an essential lesson
They say coyotes are at my door but I must have been out because I missed them today. Here in our suburban neighborhood, they say coyotes are walking in packs among us. They say they are going to eat our children playing in the backyard and take away our freedom to be outside. They say we must shoot them if they cross our path. They say we should build a Trump-style wall between us and them to protect ourselves.
They have a place to say all these things: it’s called Nextdoor. It’s the “local hub to connect and share with the neighborhood. The place where communities come together to keep a local shopkeeper in business. Where neighbors exchange recommendations for babysitters, plans for local events, and tips about what to order at that new cafe down the street. Welcome to Nextdoor!”
What Nextdoor doesn’t mention in its friendly “connect with our neighborhoods” advertisement, is that’s also the place to rant about the most mundane, self-centered things one can conceive of.
As a behavioral ecologist, the latest bouts of some nextdoorians affected me personally because they went after a local species that I love and respect: the coyote.
