# The coyote in the LA Zoo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214 "2005-11-15T20:58:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/21 "2005-11-17T02:36:51Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Back in the '70s dad and I visited my sister, who was living in Eureka. We drove through their ‘zoo’. The only thing I remember from there was a cage of squirrels. That was the cage with the sign on it that read, “Feed the Coyotes for a Dollar,” right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/22 "2005-11-17T04:00:47Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > [This](http://photobucket.com/albums/b291/guizot/?action=view¤t=Coyote.jpg)is a photo of the lone coyote in the Los Angeles Zoo. Damn, were you rolling past the cage on a bicycle when you took that picture? 😃 I can sort-of understand where you guys are coming from WRT to zoos, but if I were a coyote (and, God willing, one day I will be\*), I’d rather be safe and well-fed in a cage, with a longer life-expectancy than my wild brothers, than hungry in the wild, or worse, splattered dead on a highway. Would the same people who deride zoos for keeping animals in captivity do the same to me (and millions of others) for keeping my cat indoors even though it _really_ wants out? A few people in this thread don’t seem to have any problem with keeping pet snakes. Maybe I’m missing something, and if I am, please enlighten me, but these positions seem incongruous. \*Shamelessly stolen in a paraphrased form from Bart Simpson. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/23 "2005-11-17T04:00:52Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Ha! I’d love to (also a Gopher Snake, which is non-venomous and looks like a rattler, often 5-ft or so). My wife said I’d have a pet snake over her dead body. So, will get one right after the funeral. 😃 I always thought gopher snakes were black? And aren’t they kind of mean? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/24 "2005-11-17T04:25:28Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > We have rosy boas, king and goper snakes around here. All are quite docile and easily handled. We also have[bull snakes](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/record_species_162_2.html) which are ill-tempered and hiss and strike trying to make to think they are rattlers I guess. Incidently, I see that bull snakes are also called goper shakes. Around here we have an entirely different snake that we refer to as a gopher snake. I never knew they were so ornery. I also never new them to be called “gophers.” I always though gophers were black. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/25 "2005-11-17T04:53:53Z")
> [@neutron star](#): > > I can sort-of understand where you guys are coming from WRT to zoos, but if I were a coyote (and, God willing, one day I will be\*), I’d rather be safe and well-fed in a cage, with a longer life-expectancy than my wild brothers, than hungry in the wild, or worse, splattered dead on a highway. “Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass, Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, Can be retentive to the strength of spirit; But life, being weary of these worldly bars, Never lacks power to dismiss itself.” – _Julius Caesar_, Act I, Scene III Stranger ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/26 "2005-11-17T04:59:55Z")
> [@neutron star](#): > > Damn, were you rolling past the cage on a bicycle when you took that picture? 😃 No, it’s just a dark setting, and I had to pull out the camera in a hurry. I’d been waiting for a while for her/him to come out. And do _you_ personally have a _better_ picture of the coyote in the L.A. zoo at hand? 😛 > [@neutron](#): > > I can sort-of understand where you guys are coming from WRT to zoos, but if I were a coyote (and, God willing, one day I will be\*), One of the best epidodes, IMHO. > [@neutron](#): > > I’d rather be safe and well-fed in a cage, with a longer life-expectancy than my wild brothers, than hungry in the wild, or worse, splattered dead on a highway. I’d say the same thing if I were an amardillo in East Texas. > [@neutron](#): > > Would the same people who deride zoos for keeping animals in captivity do the same to me (and millions of others) for keeping my cat indoors even though it _really_ wants out? I wouldn’t; as I said, I’m not a “PETA” type, and can see the purpose for a well-kept zoo. > [@neutron](#): > > A few people in this thread don’t seem to have any problem with keeping pet snakes. Maybe I’m missing something, and if I am, please enlighten me, but these positions seem incongruous. The point is well-taken. I think on the “Jerry Springer Radio Show” [please don’t laugh] the point came up about some animals which are “sentient” (he wasn’t sure himself about the correct term). He compared a cockroach to a roden, or a rabbit. > [@neutron](#): > > \*Shamelessly stolen in a paraphrased form from Bart Simpson. Shamelessly or not, very well done. But wasn’t it Homer who went on the Carlos Castaneta escapade? Or am I completely missing the reference? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/27 "2005-11-17T05:17:41Z")
Well, I’m pretty sure Shakespeare wasn’t thinking about coyotes when he wrote that, and I think that the situations are far from comparable. There are few, if any, significant advantages to being an imprisoned human. A coyote, OTOH, gets to take it easy and not worry about getting killed. Further, while we can ask a prisoner how he feels, we can do little more than assume when it comes to captive animals. I’m also still quite interested in receiving an explanation from some of the others in this thread as to why it’s okay for them personally to hold animals captive, but not for zookeepers. Specifically, I’m thinking of **KlondikeGeoff** here: > [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > even snakes (I like 'em, my wife screams at the sight), etc That makes us more fortunate than most folks, but even when we lived back east, had to hike a lot of miles through the woods and mountains to see wildlife, but it was well worth it. > > Even if we did not see all these fascinating guys, I’d still hate to see them cooped up in cages or even artificial habitat. > [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Ha! I’d love to (also a Gopher Snake, which is non-venomous and looks like a rattler, often 5-ft or so). My wife said I’d have a pet snake over her dead body. So, will get one right after the funeral. 😃 And, on preview: > [@guizot](#): > > Shamelessly or not, very well done. But wasn’t it Homer who went on the Carlos Castaneta escapade? Or am I completely missing the reference? You’re thinking of a different episode. IIRC, Bart said that line in reference to mob boss Fat Tony. It wasn’t Homer talking about his space coyote (that’s why I said the quote was paraphrased). > [@](#): > > No, it’s just a dark setting, and I had to pull out the camera in a hurry. I’d been waiting for a while for her/him to come out. And do you personally have a better picture of the coyote in the L.A. zoo at hand? 😛 Ah. Heh. I hadn’t considered that. And the closest I’ve ever been to L.A. is Vegas, so no. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/28 "2005-11-17T05:44:50Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > Now **Stranger** you just struck a nerve. You know damned well that the Port of Long Beach is nearly due south of the Los Angeles Zoo and not west. > > I practically foam at the mouth when TV newsreaders in Los Angeles say, “And now from up north in Santa Barbara …” > > We’re supposted to be fighting ignorance here, not reinforcing it. :rolleyes: My geography isn’t the best, but isn’t Long Beach somewhat southest of the L.A. Zoo? Anyway, it depends upon what freeway you have to take. For example, to get to Santa Barbarba, you take the 101 **NORTH**. Yes, you’re technically correct, Santa Barbara is mostly west of L.A. But one reason it’s an odd-numbered freeway is that it mostly goes north. I’m not disagreeing with you at all, I just can’t understand why it makes you so angry. And why do you get angry when **Stranger** refers to sea lions “in the west”? **Stranger** lives in Pasadena, so technically, sea lions are west of him. And they do seem to have they most fun at the L.A. Zoo. Yes, you’re fighting ignorance, but there seems to be so many more ignorant things to fight. Granted, the coyote in the L.A. Zoo isn’t either the best example either, I’m just curious. (And I drove a taxi in L.A. for two years.) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/29 "2005-11-17T06:14:39Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > (And I drove a taxi in L.A. for two years.) Total hijack here, but how’d you like driving a taxi in L.A.? And have you driven anywhere else for comparison? Stranger (who’s just planning for the upcoming layoff by checking out all my DeNiro-inspired options; gangster, thief, knife salesman, boxer, taxi driver…the possibilites are endless.) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/30 "2005-11-17T07:30:32Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > (although the aviary at the LA zoo has some great spots for element photography). I must assume you’ve also been to the aviaries at the San Diego Zoo? There’s no comparison (between the two, I mean.). [major highjack] While I don’t know how long you’ve been here (you’re from the Mid-West, aren’t you?), you obviously have learned a lot about the local fauna. I was jogging up to the Obversatory and came face-to-face with a huge buck deer. It ignored me completely, turned around, and walked away. That was about 100 feet from where James Dean had his famous scene, (not that it mattered to the buck.) And I take it you’re a pretty good photographer, **Stranger**? I’ve got some medium format positives (taken with an old Yashica (of all things, which I cheaply bought in Alameda, and has an EXCELLENT lens), and using a Sprectra light meter (I used to work in “The Industry”). I’ve framed most in glass slide protectve sleeves, but haven’t been able to find any projector to show them with. But they’re so big, you don’t really need a projector Yeah, I can do digital, but nothing compares to photo-chemical. OTHER MPSIMS: Why can I send email to some Dopers but not others? [/majorjack] ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/31 "2005-11-17T08:20:28Z")
Anybody, who can make a Shakespearean quote about the coyote in the L.A. Zoo, deserves a drink on me. **Stranger**"Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass, Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, Can be retentive to the strength of spirit; But life, being weary of these worldly bars, Never lacks power to dismiss itself." – _Julius Caesar_, Act I, Scene III [/quote] Regards, and I hope we meet someday. Hell, you remember more than I did as as kid. Not that I’m that oldl it’s just that that I act as if I do. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/32 "2005-11-17T09:11:40Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Total hijack here, but how’d you like driving a taxi in L.A.? And have you driven anywhere else for comparison? > .)[/size] Well, I’ve driven over most of L.A. And that means Watts, Englewood, downtown of course. Actually, “South Central,” as it was called at the time, was the best. That’s because they were mostly radio calls. Mainly they were girlfriiends getting to boyfreinds. It was the best businesss, because no one else would take it. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/33 "2005-11-17T10:47:25Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > While I don’t know how long you’ve been here (you’re from the Mid-West, aren’t you?), you obviously have learned a lot about the local fauna. I was jogging up to the Obversatory and came face-to-face with a huge buck deer. It ignored me completely, turned around, and walked away. That was about 100 feet from where James Dean had his famous scene, (not that it mattered to the buck.) I’ve done quite a bit of hiking up the the San Gabriels and the eastern Sierras. Deer, bear, bighorns, and plenty of rattlesnake to be seen. I’ve yet to see a mountain lion (only in the Grand Tetons, and he was booking uphill away from me) and I’ve maybe seen a bobcat in the Verdugos whilst mountain biking, along with various marine life off of the Orange coast. If nothing else, L.A. is a great city for being so close to so many different terrains within an hour’s drive. > [@guizot](#): > > And I take it you’re a pretty good photographer, **Stranger**? Nay, I’m a rank neophyte, with my Sony 7 megapix P&S. I’ve been snapping about for a few months now and trying to decide if I want to drop serious coin on a good digital SLR. Any advice? > [@guizot](#): > > Anybody, who can make a Shakespearean quote about the coyote in the L.A. Zoo, deserves a drink on me. Well, that’s just another reason begging for an L.A. Dopefest. 😃 Gotta get one of those things going in due course. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/34 "2005-11-17T13:57:09Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > My geography isn’t the best, but isn’t Long Beach somewhat southest of the L.A. Zoo? Anyway, it depends upon what freeway you have to take. For example, to get to Santa Barbarba, you take the 101 **NORTH**. Yes, you’re technically correct, Santa Barbara is mostly west of L.A. But one reason it’s an odd-numbered freeway is that it mostly goes north. Well if you were starting in Long Beach you would take the 405 **NORTH** and when it crosses the 101 make a 90 degree turn to the left and you would now be on the 101 **NORTH**. 😕 :eek: Yeah it’s odd numbered because if you look over the entire length of the 101 it runs North / South. But between LA / SB it runs almost East / West. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/35 "2005-11-17T17:19:35Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Well if you were starting in Long Beach you would take the 405 **NORTH** and when it crosses the 101 make a 90 degree turn to the left and you would now be on the 101 **NORTH**. 😕 :eek: > Yeah it’s odd numbered because if you look over the entire length of the 101 it runs North / South. But between LA / SB it runs almost East / West. If I lived in LB, and wanted to get to the L.A. Zoo, I’d take the 710 to the 5. (Although the 110 now does have that new “Skyway” thing. ) And if I lived in Wilmington, I’d be sure to pack my Glock. (Just a joke. It got stolen long ago.) And I’d be wondering whatever happened to Marineland. (Speaking of sea lions.) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/36 "2005-11-17T17:58:05Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > I’ve done quite a bit of hiking up the the San Gabriels and the eastern Sierras. Deer, bear, bighorns, and plenty of rattlesnake to be seen. I’ve yet to see a mountain lion I’ve come across a few. They really don’t like contact with people. And few (people) have been attacked by cougars. Usually people who are prone (like fixing their bikes). This happened in an Orange County park. And where human development has encroached their natural environment. In my experience, they see you and just run away. > [@stranger](#): > > (only in the Grand Tetons, and he was booking uphill away from me) and I’ve maybe seen a bobcat in the Verdugos whilst mountain biking, along with various marine life off of the Orange coast. If nothing else, L.A. is a great city for being so close to so many different terrains within an hour’s drive. Well, I can’t speak for other cities (except for Berkely). I think L.A. County had the highest agricultral yeild of all counties in the U.S, simply because of its size. [minor hijack]You do know what a _verdugo_ does, right?[/minor hijack off] > [@Stranger](#): > > Nay, I’m a rank neophyte, with my Sony 7 megapix P&S. I’ve been snapping about for a few months now and trying to decide if I want to drop serious coin on a good digital SLR. Any advice? Nothing to be ashamed about. Digital is just some much easier. Anyway, I’d suggest a Pentax with a telephoto lens. Well, that’s just another reason begging for an L.A. Dopefest. 😃 Gotta get one of those things going in due course. Stranger [/QUOTE] Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/37 "2005-11-17T18:37:07Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > _pumps fist in the air_ > > FREE THE LA ONE! FREE THE LA ONE! DEATH TO THE ESTABLISHMENT! … er > > _looks around_ > > What? ☹ FREE WILE-EEEEEE! I smell a movie in the making… ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/38 "2005-11-17T19:09:51Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I’ve come across a few. They really don’t like contact with people. And few (people) have been attacked by cougars. Usually people who are prone (like fixing their bikes). This happened in an Orange County park. And where human development has encroached their natural environment. Happened at Whiting Ranch about two years, I believe. That was a weird case. The mountain lion attacked a mountain biker, killed him, ate about half of him then buried the rest (as mountain lions are wont to do). Then, later the same day, the same mountain lion attacked a woman on a bike who was rescued by some people who threw rocks at the lion until it took off. No one knows how the lion killed the first guy since there were no witnesses, but the woman who was attacked wasn’t fixing her bike or anything. The lion jumped on her as she was cycling past it. The lion was killed by some rangers later that night. They found the first dude’s eaten liver and lungs in the lion’s stomach upon autopsy. That is definitely abnormal lion behavior, especially when there was lots of deer around to be had. Most of the time, they’ll just avoid people. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/39 "2005-11-18T08:03:36Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Happened at Whiting Ranch about two years, I believe. That was a weird case. The mountain lion attacked a mountain biker, killed him, ate about half of him then buried the rest (as mountain lions are wont to do). Then, later the same day, the same mountain lion attacked a woman on a bike who was rescued by some people who threw rocks at the lion until it took off. No one knows how the lion killed the first guy since there were no witnesses, but the woman who was attacked wasn’t fixing her bike or anything. The lion jumped on her as she was cycling past it. > > The lion was killed by some rangers later that night. They found the first dude’s eaten liver and lungs in the lion’s stomach upon autopsy. > > That is definitely abnormal lion behavior, especially when there was lots of deer around to be had. Most of the time, they’ll just avoid people. Yeah, adnormil, znc unfotunate. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214/40 "2005-11-18T08:11:44Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Yeah, adnormil, and unfotunate. I mean: "abnormial"l and “unfornate.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coyote-in-the-la-zoo/331214.md?page=3)