I was camping in the Rocky Mountains in northern Utah. It was after dark and I was in a tent when I heard a lonely howl followed by short yips. As a teenager, my first thought was that there was a wolf nearby. (Thank you, all those scary were wolf movies--not!) I later learned that the call was a coyote, and that I was in little or no danger. With the rare exception of a rabid animal, coyotes traditionally stay away from humans. They can be a danger to small pets and small children. At one time, they were found mainly in the southwest of the United States, but are now in all parts of Americas from Alaska to the Panama Canal. One estimate puts their population at 10,000,000. They are very adaptable animals and can be found in forest, prairie, suburban, and urban areas. They have become a bit of a pest. Unfortunately, they are not easy to eliminate. When in proper population, they serve a vital ecological function and make with cubs are stable with only the dominant female reproducing. If the dominant female is shot, the remaining females scatter, find mates, and reproduce, so controlling the population by hunting doesn’t work. Another example of God’s amazing creatures that serve God’s purpose, unless we mess things up and then things go out of control!