Murtherers!

The Post:

Police and a sharpshooter hired by Greenwood Village have killed six coyotes since early this year, when the City Council authorized killing aggressive animals, the city said today.

Four of the animals were killed by police, while two were killed by a sharpshooter with a company called Animal Damage Control, said Ryan Gregory, spokesman for the Greenwood Village city manager's office.

The city's decision has angered animal-rights groups, but Greenwood Village said lethal measures are necessary as the coyotes have become acclimated to their urban environment and, in some cases, aggressive.

In announcing the number of coyote kills, the city said that in recent weeks, there have been "multiple reports" of coyotes chasing residents

Additionally, said the city, coyotes on "multiple occasions" have jumped 6-foot privacy fences into backyards near Tommy Davis Park. As a result, residents in the Tommy Davis Park neighborhood have had to rescue their dogs from the coyotes. . . .
City officials said today they recognize the value and benefits provided by all wildlife and that the city has a four-part, comprehensive management plan that includes hazing in an effort to spare the coyotes' lives. . . .

Some people protested Friday evening just hours after police shot and killed a coyote that two residents said attacked their dogs as they walked near Monaco Park.

Lt. Joe Harvey of the Greenwood Village police said his officers also were trying to find the dead coyote's possible mate, which the WildEarth Guardians animal-protection organization has named "Limpy."

The female coyote has been seen and photographed limping badly.

Limpy. I have a friend we call "Stumpy" because he broke his leg in a tragic softball accident about 20 years ago. No, he doesn't limp. Or even stump, and as far as I know nobody's tried to shoot him, much.

Nicole Rosmarino, the wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians, said the objective of Friday night's protest was to save Limpy's life as well as other coyotes in Greenwood Village.

Why don't they just give them all cutesy names? Limpy, Mangy, One-eye, Spagz, Rabies . . .