New neighbors

Mr. and Mrs. Wile E. Coyote (1st image photograph and 4th image caricature) have moved into an upscale neighborhood of Glendale, California, to raise their children. The family of 7 has laid claim to the yard - and possibly the interior - of a burned-out house on Brockmont Drive in Verdugo Hills (2nd image aerial view, 3rd image street view). "They act like they own the place, which they kind of do," said nearby resident Michael Hunt, who uses an air-horn to scare them out of his own yard and away from his dog and his 13-year-old daughter. The owners of the house, which was destroyed by a fire in November, are having it razed next week, but many wonder if the coyotes will leave when the house is gone. An L.A. County agency wants to set traps, after which they would euthanize the coyotes (required by law to avoid them dying slowly or adversely affecting another ecosystem into which they are relocated). But the mayor and many of the neighbors don't want to see the animals killed. Caught commuting in Oregon, coyotes are now squatting in California. "This is not normal," says next-door neighbor Cathy Molloy, who has recently put up a big fence. "They think humans are their family. But eventually they're going to get hungry, and they're going to turn on us."