Much to the chagrin of parents and wildlife officials, three young children have been bitten by coyotes in Broomfield’s Anthem neighborhood in the last three months.
The good news is that none of the children was seriously injured. The bad news is that the episodes are the latest in a string of incidents of increased human-coyote conflict on the Front Range.
As development encroaches on animal habitat, we must all educate ourselves on how to minimize and avoid conflicts with wildlife. Two of the easiest things to do are avoiding feeding or leaving food out for coyotes and hazing the animals when you see them in order to instill in them a fear of humans.
For more information, visit the Colorado Division of Wildlife website ().
You may get more than fries with that. A child development professor from Arizona reviewed indoor playgrounds at fast-food restaurants in 11 states, and discovered what many parents already know: they can be nasty.
Erin Carr-Jordan’s inspection, as reported by The New York Times, showed “widespread presence of an array of pathogens, from coliform bacteria to staphylococcus, at levels that experts said indicated that restaurants might not be disinfecting their playlands as diligently as they should.”
Her review is more food for thought on our fast-food culture.
Colorado represents. We were pleased last week to see Colorado State University, the University of Colorado and many other state colleges and universities named to G.I. Jobs magazine’s “2012 Military Friendly Schools” list. Men and women who served this country are deserving of our thanks and of the opportunities that those schools are providing.
Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
