Let’s not rue the day

What do you think is going to happen to beach tourism, real estate sales and the economy in what was known to be “quaint,” kid-friendly Wellfleet, Mass., on the northern end of Cape Cod in the wake of last weekend’s deadly shark attack on Newcomb Hollow Beach?

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out.

In fact, Rhian Collingbourne, a South Wales visitor to Longboat Key, gave a clue last week in our letters to the editor. She wrote:

“I was shocked initially with the red tide and then positively exacerbated by the coyote we saw on the beach.

“We love coming to Sarasota and have made many friends here and have been made to feel welcome by everybody. However … I want to walk the beach unfettered and not in fear of seeing a wild animal.”

You know what Ms. Collingbourne is going to do. She’ll tell all her friends. And before long, Longboat Key will experience something akin to what occurred during the red tide outbreak. As one Longboat Key resort manager told one of our delivery employees last week, not one guest checked in at the resort during August.

We cite all of this because we continue to believe it’s only a matter of time before there’s a tragic incident involving Longboat’s mangy coyotes. (Yes, coyotes plural. We continue to hear from Longboaters who live on the north end and work on the south end say they are certain there are two coyotes on the Key.)

Or consider this warning — a story on FoxNews just more than a week ago: 

Oklahoma woman awakes to coyote in her bedroom

“When Bonnie Moriarty heard her cat hiss in the middle of the night, she assumed her dog picked a fight with the feline. Moments later, the cat ran inside her bedroom — with a large animal trailing behind it.

“At first, Moriarty assumed her dog was chasing the cat. But as she took a closer look, she realized it wasn’t her pup after all: It was a coyote.

“‘I woke up and the cat and the coyote (ran) into my room. It was still dark,’ Moriarty, of Bixby, Okla., told Fox 23.

“Moriarty first heard what she described as a ‘cat fight’ around 4 a.m. She flipped on the lights and located the creature, sitting in the corner of her room. Quickly, Moriarty grabbed a golf club for protection.

“‘My husband was out of town, and my poor kids were upstairs, and I’m screaming,’ she described to the news station. 

“Moriarty’s Miniature Schnauzer soon ran into the room and started barking at the wild animal, but the coyote remained calm and didn’t respond. It simply crouched down on the floor and stayed still.

“‘That’s when I realized: Holy crud, I’ve got a coyote stuck in my bedroom,’ Moriarty recalled.

“The Oklahoma mom called 911 for backup and three officers arrived on the scene shortly after.

“The Bixby cops, equipped with a catcher pole, surrounded the animal and placed the loop around its neck. They managed to pull the creature out of the bedroom and released it safely in a wooded area nearby.

“Moriarty believes the coyote, enticed by her cat, managed to get through her back door.

“‘He ... lunged at the door and the door opened,’ she said.”

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Bonnie Moriarty was lucky. Surfer Arthur Medici was not. 

You never know when tragedy will strike. But you can take steps to prevent it.

It seems quite incongruous that town officials took steps to eradicate the peacock population in the Village — the fowl were regarded as a nuisance to peace and property. But they have done little to eliminate the coyotes. 

Town commissioners and public safety officials will rue the day when tragedy occurs.