Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-18

the disease broke out among the coy
otes in certain isolated mountain dis
tricts of Oregon. 1t spread very
slowly at first, and it is only within
the last few months that it has de-
Neloped to alarming proportions. Now
that it is on the level prairie country
where both coyotes and dogs abound,
the public health officials say there is
no telling how far it will spread or
how much damage it will do. In the
open West, where livestock is abun-
dant, and where the wild coyote is the
chief carrier. the disease presents an
entirely different problem from that
of an eastern city where an epidemic
of rabies occurs.
Just as the health officers are de-
termined to make this the occasion for
campaign against rabies, so the
western stockmen are determined to
use 1t to work up feeling against their
ancient enemy. the coyote. 1t is the
cattlemen that are suffering most from
the rabid coyotes. One coyote ran
amuck in a herd of steers near Win
nemucca, Nevada, and bit twenty
three of the animals all of which died.
Valuable horses have also been killed,
and the total loss will probably be
very large.
1t is the sheepmen who have suf-
tered from the ravages of the coyote
since time immemorial, however. In
many parts of the West the COYOTES
have regularly killed ten per cent. of
the lambs for years and years, de-
spite every effort to eXterminate them.
HNdrophobia does not make them any
more dangerous to the sheepmen, for
tne thlck Wool of the sheep protects
him from the infection. But the wool
growers perceive that this is the
psychological moment to strike their
ancient enemy. His cunning has
saved him for years. He has learned
TO detect traps and poison with al
most human intelligence, and he can
tell whether a man is carrying a
gun or not as far as he can see him.
Now that he has become rabid,
however, the stockmen are going after
him in a concerted fashion that prob
ABLY means his doom. The stockmen's
journals are publishing full page adj
Vertlsements illustrated with the por-
trait of Bre'r coyote. and demanding
that every rancher devote two months
OF the year. December and January.
to hunting him. 1t is planned to or
ganize community hunts. and drive
the last coyote out of hiding,
In addition to this the government
mas recently taken the field again st
the coyote. Congress has made an
appropriation for the extermination of
predatory animals. and now has more
- iibii''' CN hunters IN the field.
the whole West is divided into nine
sections In each of which there is an
INSPECTOR and from twelve TO twenty
hunters. Fourteen thousand COYOTES
We're killed in Idaho last year. and in
one county twelve government hunters
Killed nearly five hundred of them in
one month. The whole West is lif-
erallv IN in arms against the covote
In addition to this, the disease itself
IS DESTROYING him. In the parts of
oregon where il first appeared five or
six Years ago, there are scarcely anv
coyotes left. After successfully defv-
ing man and civilization for half q
century, the coyote seems doomed at
last. "'
There will be a great deal of loss
IN the West before the epidemic runs
its course, however. and It has some
possibilities of harm that have NOT VET
developed. All of the lower animals
are subject to the disease. In MANY
narts of the West. cougars or NOM
tam lions wildcats and black bears
are abundant Should the disease Oh
tain hold among these larger and
more formidable beasts. it would he a
greator menace to human life than
ever. The extent of the economic 1oes
TOO. remains to he seen. II r1ov vii
he that rabies will force the nrico or
beef still higher. '''0o Vi