Coyote Killing Exclusive: SFWeekly Interviews Mother of Slain Golden Gate Park Coyote

... "It’s a rough patch no doubt,” said Agnes. “But we’ll fight through, kill some cats and turn over some garbage cans. It’s what we do.” ...

The recent shooting deaths of two so-called aggressive coyotes in Golden Gate Park brought a fierce outcry from many in the City. But the individual perhaps most affected by the tragedy chose, instead, to keep quiet. Agnes Coyote, 6, the mother and mother-in-law of the slain couple held her tongue — until now. The mourning mother gave SFWeekly an exclusive interview in her small but cozy burrow near Victorville, tastefully furnished with décor from the ACME catalog.

Her son, Grover Coyote, 3, had hopes of becoming a herbalist, but had instead married young and gone into hunting, gathering, foraging and scavenging. His wife, Charlene, also 3, was between jobs.

“When I got the call that my son been shot I naturally assumed it was my other son, Peter,” she said. Indeed, Peter Coyote is a former mime, which would make the discharge of firearms all the more understandable.

Peter is alive, well and apparently in negotiations to play Hank Hobart in “Western Big Sky.” Sadly the same can’t be said for Grover, who will never fulfill his dream of working in alternative medicine.

“He had the talent. He was right good at it. Always a poultice for this or that ailment — and I’ve got a few,” recalled Agnes with the hint of a smile.

“It was all there for him down the line but Grover was intent on getting married. I told him he had time but he wouldn’t hear it. I can’t say those last few months were especially friendly between us. I just wanted more for him. He had so much more to give.”

Grover and Charlene were, in fact, on their honeymoon in Golden Gate Park, which received high ratings in the “Lonely Planet — for Coyotes” guidebook. When asked how her son and daughter made the roughly 425-mile trip, Agnes noted that the Greyhound is a distant cousin of the Coyote.

Periodically throughout our interview, Agnes’ husband, Ward Coyote, would wander into the living room and place his paw on his wife’s chair. At one point he interjected:

“You know this just ain’t right. It’s a terrible thing to have the newspapers calling up about whether Grover and Charlene were pregnant or not — for God’s sake! They just got hitched two weeks ago come Sunday! Bad enough they kill my boy and his wife, now they have to ruin the family name. I mean — no, I’m sorry. I just can’t talk about this anymore.”

Ward skulked quickly out of his home and up onto the surface where he howled, loudly, at the moon (it was only 2 p.m. and this worried Agnes: “He’s been starting earlier and earlier. I think he has a problem.”).

It’s been a tough period for the Coyotes. Prior to Grover and Charlene’s violent deaths a cousin, Hal, died after leading New York city authorities on a chase through Central Park while a family friend shocked the community by showing up in the refrigerator of a Chicago Quizno’s.

“It’s a rough patch no doubt,” said Agnes. “But we’ll fight through, kill some cats and turn over some garbage cans. It’s what we do.” – Joe Eskenazi
Grover Coyote (2004-2007). Photo courtesy of exzooberance.com