Me and Mr. Coyote

This morning riding through the canyon I had an "encounter" with Mr. Coyote. I was barreling down the hill on my bike and as the path swerved around a bush -- there he was... about 100 feet in front of me... Mr. Coyote. I jammed on the brakes and came skidding to a stop. Mr. Coyote looked over his shoulder with suspicion and kept walking. I stood their frozen, trying to remember what canyon dwelling animal attacks people and which mostly preys on pets and small animals. Where is google when you need it! All the while the coyote would take a couple of steps and then stop and look back and glare at me. He finally got to another bend in the path and after he passed the bush he was out of sight. Decisions, decisions. I was half an hour into the one hour commute to work. I could head back home and drive to work - but that would be a drag. I finally decided - bobcats bad (attack humans), coyotes good (well kind of good .. they will eat your pet but not you) . So off I went. I will admit it ... I was a bit nervous as I passed the bushes wondering if Mr. Coyote was waiting for me ...

Phew, the only animals I saw the rest of my ride was wild rabbits.

Now that I am home safe and sound I am doing a little bit of reading about my canyon friends. Here is what I learned ... click here for the full article.

Coyote attacks on humans are uncommon and rarely cause serious injuries, due to the relatively small size of the coyote. However, coyote attacks on humans have increased since 1998 in the state of California. The majority of these incidents occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface.

Due to an absence of harassment by residents, urban coyotes lose their natural fear of humans, which is further worsened by people intentionally feeding coyotes. In such situations, some coyotes begin to act aggressively toward humans, chasing joggers and bicyclists, confronting people walking their dogs, and stalking small children.
There is currently only one recorded fatal attack on a human. In 1981 in Glendale, California, a coyote attacked a toddler, who despite being rescued by her father, died in surgery due to blood loss and a broken neck.