No changes planned in coyote management
A slight increase in coyote numbers, probably because of heavy fruit production this year in the Village, led to a slight uptick in calls to Corrales Animal Services, according to the annual review of Corrales’ coyote management plan heard by the Corrales Village Council on Sept. 11.
Techniques being used to control coyotes in the Village continue to focus on preventing encounters: avoiding coyotes (especially during cub season), secure fences, and eliminating outdoor food sources.
Animal Services reported 4,599 calls for service this fiscal year, compared with 4,500 last year, and 78 coyote incidents versus 70, amounting to an estimated 1 percent increase attributed to coyotes.
The Integrated Coyote Management Plan has been praised for its role in organizing Corrales’ response to coyote-livestock conflicts. The plan directs residents to contact Animal Services with any problems. Residents are prohibited from shooting, trapping, or poisoning coyotes on their own.
Longtime coyote advocate Susan Weiss congratulated the Village for its success this past summer in permanently scaring off a mother with cubs from culverts near the fire substation. The cubs did not have to be seized, as in the previous two years. She reiterated that complaints about coyote predation should be measured against reasonable and adequate means of prevention.
Winter approaching
As temperatures drop into the 50s and colder overnight, skunks and raccoons have been observed growing their winter coats. This time of year usually brings an increase in service calls for wildlife as animals are active preparing for winter.
Horses and dogs kept outside are also likely growing thicker coats, said Animal Services officer P. “Frosty” Frostenson. The Village requires that animals kept outside be provided with shelter, food, water, and clean pens year round, including water troughs free of ice. Standards vary, however, according to the situation. Residents should not assume from their own observations that animals have inadequate shelter, but should contact Animal Services: 898-0401.
Kennels full
The number of cats and dogs abandoned in Corrales has reached an all-time high. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Frosty. He said people have called from surrounding communities hoping the Village will accept homeless animals, which suggests that Corrales’ new “no-kill” ordinance is fueling a belief that animals can be left here safely.
All summer, the three dog runs leased by the Village at Corrales Kennels were full, and dogs occasionally had to be doubled-up in the runs, said officer Catherine Garcia. The Village kennel bill was surprisingly high. A ll the rescue groups in and around Corrales are at capacity, Frosty said, while recent free and low-cost adoption events staged by larger groups and shelters make it hard for local rescue groups to compete in getting their own dogs adopted.
Bono goes home at last
Of the many pit-bull mixes that have come through the rescue system in and around Corrales, the old black dog named Bono became something of a cause célèbre. Initially found wandering in the Village in summer 2011, he turned out to be around 9 years old and seemed semi-aggressive around other dogs. Volunteer Melinda Helton worked with Bono over the 13 months or more he spent at Corrales Kennels under the auspices of Second Chance Animal Rescue. Reading about his plight in The Bosque Beast, Animal Humane offered to try to get Bono adopted. Even though he was featured in one of their YouTube videos (“Adopt Bono,” which got nearly 300 views) and served as an office mascot to executive director Peggy Weigle, no one wanted an old, black pit-bull mix. Bono was returned to Corrales Kennels, where he is (ironically) a darling of the volunteer dog walkers. Last month, the “no-kill” poster child finally found his forever home — at a kind of doggie hospice. A Corrales couple with a special place in their hearts for senior dogs have taken in 29 of them over the years. Bono left with tail wagging, according to the half dozen volunteers tearfully wishing him well.