I live in Washington state, and ever since our legislature passed a law banning hunting with hounds and leg-hold traps, our coyote, raccoon, cougar, and bear populations have skyrocketed. We have a bunch of tree-hugging environmentalists up here that will do anything to "save the animals". They just don't understand the ramifications when they allow predator populations to get out of control. My DH is an animal control officer for the city (among a myriad of other "titles") and they had a call for a loose sheep that was wandering around a restaurant parking lot on the main highway. They caught it, brought it back to the city maintenance yard, and turned it out in a fenced 5-acre piece surrounding the water tower so it could eat happily until they located the owner. The next morning, all my DH found was the skull (stripped clean) and some vertebrae. The coyotes got it. Right in town. And people are posting "missing" signs for their little dogs and cats and are wondering who is "stealing" them...
