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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2018)
Page 6 The Skanner Portland & Seattle October 24, 2018 News In Sheridan, Oregonians Help Detained Migrants “ Coyotes are usually not ag- gressive unless threatened Coyotes, Canis latrans, play a vital role in our ecosystem and are native to North America. This extremely adaptable canine fre- quents many parts of the Pacific Northwest. Weighing between 20 to 50 pounds, the coyote is about the size of a medium dog. Recently, advances in urban development have encroached on the coyotes’ Dr. Jasmine Shanelle Streeter Veterinarian natural habitat leading to more sightings by humans. These chang- es have led to coyotes being spot- ted in suburbs, neighborhoods, parks and on public trails. Coyotes are usually not aggressive unless threatened, but can be territori- al during their breeding season, which runs from late January to late March. Though coyote attacks are rare, here are a few tips to pro- tect you and your pet this season. 1. Never feed coyotes or encour- age contact. Coyotes are primar- ily opportunistic feeders that will eat from outdoor pet food dishes, trash or spoiled fallen fruit. Make sure trash and com- post bins are well sealed and double bag odoriferous foods like spoiled meat and fish. 2. Do not leave dogs, cats, and other animals that may be per- ceived as prey, unattended or tied outside. Keep close watch of backyard poultry and other farm animals if coyotes have been spotted in your area. 3. Please keep intact animals on a leash and under close supervision. This will pre- vent inappropriate mating which can result in a litter of coydogs. A coydog is the off- spring of a coyote and a dog. 4. If you encounter a coyote while on a walk with your dog, do not allow pets to chase after the animal. Do not turn and run, coyotes have been clocked running over 40 mph. Do make your- self appear large, and throw whatever you have available. 5. To decrease coyote encoun- ters, walk in well-traf- ficked areas, and avoid going out during their most active hours of dawn and dusk. This Fall I hope you bundle up, get out- side, and enjoy the beauty that the Pacific Northwest has to of- fer. I definitely will be. With the tips provid- ed, you and your fur babies can stay safe, active and create more seasonal memories. So get out there and live, Happy Fall! To learn more about the urban coyote in your area, visit www. audobonportland.org. Email Dr. Jasmine your pet question to drjasmine@theskan- ner.com. AP PHOTO/ANDREW SELSKY L ast fall, while on beautiful drive down Skyline, I spotted what appeared to be a lost dog standing in the road. As my fog lights ad- justed to the dusky haze, I realized that the majestic creature before me was a coyote. With a quick flash of my brights and a honk of the horn, the crea- ture before me was gone. This article is dedicated to my newest canine neighbor, the urban coyote. PHOTO BY SHAWN MCCREADY An Unwelcome Neighbor: The Urban Coyote In this Aug. 23 photo, Karandeep Singh, left, a Sikh immigrant from India, speaks with Victoria Bejarano Muirhead, from Immigration Law Lab, at the Dasmesh Darbar Sikh Temple in Salem, Ore. Sikh immigrants freed from a federal prison in nearby Sheridan, Ore., have been welcomed into the temple where they can stay, get food and attend religious services. By Andrew Selsky Associated Press SALEM, Ore. — With the sun bearing down, Norm and Kathy Daviess stood in the shade of a prison wall topped with coiled razor wire, wait- ing for three immigrants to come out. It’s become an oddly familiar routine for the Air Force veteran and his wife, part of an ad hoc group of volunteers that formed in recent months after the Trump admin- istration transferred 124 immigrants to the federal prison in rural Oregon, a first for the facility. The detainees were among approximately 1,600 immigrants ap- prehended along the U.S.-Mexico border and then transferred to fed- eral prisons in five states after President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy left the usual facil- ities short of space. Almost half of those sent to the prison outside Sheridan, an econom- ically struggling town 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Portland, on May 31 are from India, many of them Sikhs — part of an influx of Indi- an nationals entering the U.S. in recent years. They also came from Nepal, Guatemala, Mexico and a dozen other countries. “Zero tolerance” made Sheridan an unusual way station for migrants from around the world. Now, those who pass an initial screening and post bond are being re- leased. And Norm and Kathy Daviess, along with more than 100 oth- er volunteers — retirees, recent college graduates, lawyers, clergy — have lined up to help. “The best part of this is seeing the big smile on their face, to be out, to have this burden done with,” said Kathy Daviess, 71, who wore a floppy white hat as she and her husband stood outside the prison on a recent afternoon. As drivers, the two are ready to go to the prison, a half-hour from their hometown of Dundee, at a moment’s notice and often wait there for hours as the de- tainees are processed. The freed migrants generally travel onward in a day or two to other states where they have relatives or friends. The volunteers provide transportation, inter- preter services, legal counseling, food, shel- ter and moral support. They raised more than $12,000 to pay bonds for migrants who couldn’t come up with the money themselves. A Sikh temple in near- by Salem also offers the immigrants religious and other services, and a place to recover. Many of the detainees made long, dangerous journeys to reach the U.S., and all either turned themselves in to seek asylum or were nabbed by border agents when they arrived. Since “zero tolerance” took effect in May, everyone who en- ters the country illegally is charged with a crime. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the crack- down is necessary to eliminate illegal immi- gration and because abuse of the asylum sys- tem has caused a surge in illegal border crossings. “For those who crossed the border illegally, those were the consequences brought upon them,” said Sheridan Mayor Harry Cooley, who worked at the Oregon prison for 21 years and is not among the volunteers. He was less certain about mi- grants who request asy- lum at points of entry, noting it isn’t illegal. “It would be unfathom- able if they were detain- ing those people rather than just turning them away,” Cooley said, but then added it seemed justifiable to detain the immigrants while their See SHERIDAN on page 7
