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Animal advocates ask Spanish Fort to study nonlethal wildlife coexistence before expanding lethal control
Summary
Tracy Glover of ARC urged the City Council to publish conflict data, outline success metrics and hold a public work session with wildlife experts to evaluate nonlethal approaches after the council extended a wildlife-control contract focused on coyotes.
Tracy Glover, executive director of ARC (an animal-advocacy group serving Mobile and Baldwin counties), told the Spanish Fort City Council that the city should pursue more transparency and public review before expanding lethal wildlife control.
"These approaches are not only more humane, they're often more effective, more ecologically sustainable, and more fiscally responsible in the long term," Glover said, urging the council to publish which conflicts the city is experiencing, how they are measured, and which nonlethal alternatives were considered before lethal methods are used.
Glover said ARC provided the council a draft "Spanish Fort Wildlife Coexistence Framework" and offered the organization as a community resource for education and expert connections. She asked the council to schedule a public work session that would include wildlife biologists, coexistence experts and city staff to discuss practical, science-based approaches.
Mayor Bass responded that council members had heard from residents seeking action after recent incidents, and noted the city previously held a public hearing on the contract. The mayor said the current contract was extended through next June and that the full contract is available in the prior meeting’s agenda packet and on the city's website.
Homeowner comments at the same meeting showed divided local sentiment. Levi Loya, a Spanish Fort resident, said he had not known about prior hearings and encouraged the city to improve notice so more residents can participate. Rocky Max described a coyote recorded on a home camera that killed a family pet and said he supported the council’s steps to address neighborhood safety.
Council members and police said the contract is targeted at coyotes after some violent incidents; Chief John W. Barber said the department had previously used different measures and now supports a contract-based, humane approach. No formal policy change was made at the meeting; Glover’s request for a work session and for published conflict metrics was not decided on the spot.
