The Coyote Next Door
April 01, 2025 at 04:30PM
Betsy Mason explores the work of wildlife biologist Sage Raymond, who is testing the problem-solving abilities of urban coyotes as part of her PhD work at the University of Alberta. These coyotes are thriving in the face of urbanization, as are some other species like raccoons and crows. Raymond wants to understand why these animals are flourishing in the hope of encouraging a peaceful coexistence with their human neighbors. The experiment has many ups and downs, and you will enjoy the unexpected creatures that solve the puzzle!
He approaches the camera, filling the frame with a curious eye. His rapid sniffing briefly drowns out the hum of early evening traffic on a nearby highway. He circles back, tail tucked, stretching his neck toward the pipe. He pokes the top, then the bottom. He pulls on the top with his teeth. It swings, but not quite far enough to spill the treats. He raises a paw and pushes the pipe to the side, briefly getting his teeth around the top before letting go.
“That’s exciting! It’s very few animals that have actually used a paw,” she says.
Then, with the side of his snout, the coyote pushes the bottom of the pipe up to the side, like he’s moving the hour hand on a clock. It’s nearly horizontal when the video inconveniently ends, cut off by the camera’s 20-second timer. At the start of the next clip, he’s hustling away, the tube still swinging on its bolt. With no other potential culprits caught on video, Raymond is confident the coyote solved the puzzle.
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2025/04/01/the-coyote-next-door/
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