August 12, 2025

Dear Editor:

Regarding your article "Coyotes in Santa Monica Grow More Aggressive," that ran on August 8, 2025. Just to put things in perspective:

According to chatgpt: "Based on available historical records, news archives, and local wildlife reports, there is no verified instance in the last 100 years of a coyote attacking a human within the city of Santa Monica.” Zero.

There is one report of coyotes attacking someone on a horse in the SM mountains 38 years ago.

Coyotes are opportunistic hunters. Also from Chat: "They’ll hunt small mammals like rabbits, rodents, and squirrels when plentiful, but they’ll also eat birds, reptiles, insects, carrion, fruits, and even human food scraps if they can get them."

They don’t attack people because they don’t eat people.

Also according to Chatgpt: "Your chance of being hit by lightening is one in 1.2 million. Your chance of being attacked by a coyote is one in TEN MILLION.

There are fewer than 20 attacks reported nationwide per year, most minor; only 2 known fatal cases in U.S./Canada history."

In the history of the United States AND Canada there have been a total of TWO fatal coyote attacks, and you’re more than eight times more likely to be hit by lightning than attacked by a coyote.

I understand they make people nervous, but trapping coyotes and transporting them can mean separating them from their pups, who then starve to death. That seems pretty cruel for the crime of making people nervous when the statistics don’t back up that level of fear.

Victor Fresco
Santa Monica