Target: John Fischer, Director, Huntsville Animal Services, Huntsville, Alabama
Goal: Launch a humane, citywide coyote coexistence plan that shields pets, reduces attractants, and rejects lethal roundups.
Winter brings higher coyote activity across Alabama. Huntsville Animal Services already urges simple precautions. Pet food left outdoors can draw curious coyotes. Loose trash also lures scavengers. Outdoor cats face risk after dusk. Small dogs face risk near greenbelts and creeks. Residents need a clear, city backed plan that keeps families safe without cruel tactics.
Communities nationwide cut conflict with outreach that hits daily habits. Leash rules help. Nighttime cat curfews help. Bin security helps. So does quick reporting when bold coyotes approach yards. Training on hazing gives neighbors confidence. Clear signs at parks and trailheads set expectations. These moves save pets and spare wildlife while easing pressure on animal control staff.
Huntsville can lead with a practical toolkit. Publish a neighborhood guide. Offer low cost coyote rollers, fence toppers, and dig guards. Enforce bans on intentional wildlife feeding. Coordinate with waste services on wildlife resistant lids. Support TNR for community cats to lower outdoor prey presence. Add an online map for sightings, with same week response when patterns emerge. Humane prevention works. Sign below to demand a plan that starts now.
PETITION LETTER:
Director Fischer,
Coyotes grow more active during winter. Pet safety needs a clear, humane response that residents can follow day by day. Simple steps reduce risk fast. A citywide plan would align guidance, outreach, and enforcement for real results.
We respectfully urge you to roll out a citywide education push focused on dusk and dawn precautions, short leashes, and feeding pets indoors. Clear messages through utility bills, social channels, school newsletters, and park kiosks would help families change daily habits fast. Offer wildlife-resistant bin options, starting with pilot blocks in hot spot neighborhoods. Pair carts with lid clips or straps, plus pickup reminders after windy nights, so trash never becomes a buffet. Provide free or low-cost hazing kits and yard signs near greenways, schools, and parks. Whistles, air horns, and simple instruction cards give residents confidence when a curious coyote hangs around. Use targeted enforcement against intentional wildlife feeding, with written warnings first, then fines for repeat cases. Calm, consistent follow-through deters behavior that invites conflict. Create small rebates for fence toppers or dig-proof skirts that protect pets humanely. A modest credit can nudge households toward rollers, angled extensions, or buried L-footers that stop climbs and dig-outs.Stand up a public sighting portal with rapid triage, plus plain-language advice pushed by SMS or email. Quick feedback, heat-map visibility, and same-week guidance will steady nerves and curb problems early.
Please coordinate with parks, solid waste, and neighborhood groups so outreach lands where risk runs highest. Humane prevention protects pets, avoids needless killing, and promotes calm, informed communities.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: nature80020
