Queer(ed) Wilds: Coyotes and Crusing in Urban Space

Keywords: political ecology, queer theory, queer ecology, animal geographies, urban wildlife,
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 62

Abstract

In 2018 The Urban Coyote Research Project reported that there are an estimated 2000-5000 coyotes living within city limits in large North American metropolises (Hody & Kays 2018). After reading the report, I conducted fieldwork in an attempt to track the animals in Montreal and found myself in several cruising spots. These field excursions seemed to suggest that some of the places where urban coyotes can thrive without detection are the same spaces where queer folks can connect. I suggest that the space is shared because both need wild within the city. This presentation is an investigation of how coyotes use urban space, the relationship between human and non-human use of these sites, and what could be named urban queer wilds.

In this presentation I discuss what might be generative about a queer(ed) investigation of coyotes and urban spaces. I draw from the literature on queer ecology, coyotes, and urban ecosystems. I further suggest that through connecting in these urban wilds, the coyote becomes a queer cross-species kin. Cruising and coyotes need a certain kind of wild that provides the possibilities and potentialities for them to thrive.