Lions and tigers and bears? Who cares!
An upstate legislator says there are other “huge predators” who are really threatening everything from New York livestock to Mother Earth.
“Coyotes also kill domestic dogs, cats, chickens – everything that you might have in your backyard or in your home – coyotes target mercilessly and destroy them,” Assemblyman John Lemondes, Jr. (R-Auburn) ranted while on the chamber floor Wednesday.
His rhetorical assault on the pesky canines added to GOP rage during a lengthy floor debate on Wednesday about legislation proposed by Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan) to curtail hunting competitions.
Some of her Republican critics attacked the bill, which passed by an 86-54 vote, by claiming such activities are a treasured part of Upstate culture that a Manhattanite like Glick – who chairs the Committee on Environmental Conservation – simply could not understand.
But Lemondes, who represents New York for the American Sheep Industry Association, went another way by deploying his legislative firepower with a notable fixation on the wily coyote.
“Coyotes are huge predators on turkeys,” he said during his roughly five-minute rant against the mid-sized dog-like animal, which only became a regular presence in New York around the 1940s after more powerful predators like wolves disappeared.
“Forty-seven percent of kills of sheep nationally were from the coyote alone, you might think black bear, grizzly bear, mountain lion, that’s about 4% to 5%.”
Glick pointed out that New Yorkers could still kill all the nuisance animals they want as long as there are no other rules limiting how many can be taken each day or during hunting season.
The legislation, which has previously passed the state Senate, specifically states “it shall be unlawful for any person to organize, sponsor, conduct, promote, or participate in any contest, competition, tournament or derby where the objective of such contest or competition is to take wildlife.”
She also noted the irony of male legislators arguing she was somehow acting outside her legislative lane when they have no problem introducing bills “that have to do with women’s anatomy.”
But such arguments hardly convinced Lemondes to go easy on coyotes considering what he argued was the danger posed by “coy-dog hybrids” that might mate with wolves and other canines at great cost to state taxpayers.
“The economic impact of that is $51.4 million spent on nonlethal control methods,” he claimed before turning his focus to how coyotes might endanger the climate and food supplies alike.
“I want to go back to sheep again,” Lemondes continued. “Because what most people may not realize is one of the impacts of [state climate laws] is every time another solar panel is set up in New York State, it increases the need for sheep for management,” he added in reference to using the docile wool-balls to manage weeds.
“Sheep are predated by coyotes extensively. Every coyote that can be taken reduces your cost of food in the grocery store. Just think about that.”
His comments were among the most spirited heard on the Assembly floor on Wednesday as the chamber pushed to finish its legislative work for the year – but some political watchers saw something cartoonish about all the coyote talk.
“Looks like John Lemondes is in the pocket of Big Roadrunner! What other Looney Toons have bought and sold out state’s leaders?!” Twitter user Stephanie Fox quipped.