To the editor:

Any time anyone talks about the coyotes/wolf hybrids predators (not indigenous to RI) and said a cat was taken you have everyone coming out of the woodwork writing hate mail about cats and it’s the people’s fault the hybrids are here.

Please stop attacking people who have cats because you don’t like them. If people did their due diligence before writing to media and found that the concerns brought to the town council was first that all the “indigenous” wild life, bunnies, raccoons and skunks no longer exists in Laurel Park and now that they are gone pets are being taken.

A comment of “what is someone to do” was because a hybrid came walking toward them on the streets of Laurel Park on their walk and of course it was taken out of context for me to “take responsibility for your animals” and to also turn it into something to feather their own agenda, not in the context it was said! If you are not a lifelong resident or long-time resident you wouldn’t know that coyotes/wolf hybrids did not come into RI till 1963 but now we have the injured hybrid carrying mange living in Laurel Park and others traversing our parks and yards. Is this not over population?

Stated at the meeting, being a non-indigenous species this needs to be controlled by us, they do not regulate themselves as we can see by them being everywhere. Down on the island (Newport/Middletown/Portsmouth) their children’s sports fields have signs posted “coyotes live here,” you do not see this as overpopulation or a problem??? The balance of indigenous wildlife is being taken away by these hybrid predators and concern by more than one resident and others from the town was expressed and this gets turned into stop feeding them and control your cats.

As for the hours spend and dollars on this, that is what we pay taxes for and it is DEM’s job for environmental management. The last I checked hybrids do not “pay taxes” we pay taxes and I don’t want my taxes to pay for things like the failed 38 Studios and a possible ball park that has owner that should be backing it, not us. I want my taxes to go toward DEM “controlling the not indigenous predators” populating all over the state so that our indigenous wildlife can thrive and not become non-existent. Let’s get ahead of this before this is a bigger problem that is in our face day and night and you are seeing sign at Burr’s Hill Park and Jamiel’s Park “coyotes live here.”

And if what you want more wildlife move to Alaska!

Beth Forshee

Bay Road