Early Monday morning I sat in my living room watching the sun rise, and was witness to a scene straight out of National Geographic! The doe and the coyote (so large I at first thought it must be a wolf) were engaged in some sort of stand-off.
Even though there is a strict rule in our “village” that cats must stay inside and dogs need to be always on a leash, I know that sometimes people let their dogs out briefly to water the lilies, without a leash. At first I was concerned about my favourite dogs in the neighbourhood. The deer and coyote chased each other up and down the street, then disappeared for a while. Maybe the coyote was looking for rodents.
About a half hour later, they returned, keeping their distance from each other. Soon too many humans were out on their morning walks and the coyote disappeared. Shortly after that I ran outside, no longer afraid, to chase the mother deer and her young twins away from my garden buffet. That’s when I noticed one of the twins limping badly, not able to put any weight on her front leg. It appeared to be broken in two places, most likely the result of being hit by a vehicle.
That’s when it hit me that the doe was trying to distract the coyote from the injured youth, and not that they were playing. Of course a healthy deer is not afraid of a coyote, but an injured deer would be in grave danger.
Since moving in to my new home last March I have gone through a range of emotions when it comes to the deer. They are magnificent creatures….but hours of hard work in the garden can be ruined in a few minutes by the hungry animals. I no longer allow them to sleep in my backyard, whereas in July when my grandsons were visiting from Germany we spent lots of time watching quietly as they grazed and rested in the yard. Monday I was saddened to watch the poor young deer struggle; I wasn’t happy to hear others callously comment “it’s the circle of life”.
This morning the street is quiet, but it’s early and pre-dawn. I am watching out my front window, waiting to see what excitement today might bring.
Reflections 