By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial board

It's tempting for me, a city resident, to join the chorus that's blaming insensitive suburban developers and homeowners for invading coyote turf and placing the pets of Leawood, Kansas, at risk.

But really, who among us can say that the ground upon which they live wasn't once the province of wildlife? I'm pretty sure our forefathers disrupted some fox lairs and beaver dams at Westport landing.

More to the point, should pets pay the ultimate price for the shortcomings of their humans? I think not. They are innocent victims. One dog was playing happily in his yard when a coyote jumped a 5-foot-tall fence and mauled him.

Animal control officers think two especially rambuncious coyotes are attacking pets in Leawood. So far they've killed seven dogs and an unknown number of cats.

Since a reforestation program isn't under consideration for that part of Johnson County, the solution seems cold but obvious. Trap the coyotes and euthanize them so avoid sending the problem to another area. The couple of problem predators should be snagged fairly quickly, returning safety to the suburban yards.