This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
We have lost 42,974 coyotes to the bounty claiming to reduce the population to protect mule deer. The real reason the bounty was created was so that the hunters of Utah could hunt the mule deer themselves. The numbers speak for themselves.
They call this a "predator program," but the coyotes aren't the predators. Every coyote shot and handed into the state is worth $50. The bounty was created by our Utah state government, implemented graciously by the Division of Wildlife Resources and passed right through Gov. Gary Herbert.
The DWR's mission statement is "To serve the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's wildlife." What are we teaching our youth? At this rate, they're going to grow up to be heads of the DWR with no sense that other animals matter, too.
And not just coyotes — wolves are also being dragged into the crossfire. A well-known wolf named Echo was killed by a hunter who shall remain nameless Dec. 28, 2014. Echo was an endangered gray wolf. But, because the hunter claimed he thought she was a coyote, there were no charges. What kind of people are we choosing to lead our state?
Emily Young, 11
Salt Lake City