Pooch power saves the day: Black lab chases coyotes away during walk
in Waltham
By Mary Timm Gomes
Thursday, December 19, 2002
WALTHAM - A Cambridge woman walking on Metropolitan State Hospital
property says she and her dog were chased by three coyotes yesterday
morning.
Her tale comes as animal control officers in Norfolk County also
report increases in the coyote population and more aggressive
behavior by the dog-like scavengers.
Amy Reale, 21, on vacation from Suffolk University in Boston, said
she often walks her 80-pound black lab, Bear, on the hospital
property, but usually not in the early morning.
But with school out, the pair started walking about 7:30 a.m. in Rock
Meadow, off Trapelo Road near the Belmont-Waltham line, prepared for
an hour-and-a-half of exercise, she said.
Two minutes after they walked into the woods, Bear crouched into
hunting position and Reale says she saw what appeared to be a dog,
with two others of the same type on a little plateau above him.
"I realized they were coyotes, and I called Bear and let him off the
leash," she said. But the coyotes were between her and her car, so
she ran deeper into the woods to get away from them. Bear ran with
her, at first, but when she looked over her shoulder and saw the
coyotes were chasing them, she stopped. Bear stopped too, then ran
toward the coyotes and chased them away, out of sight.
"I screamed for him - I was afraid they were attacking him," Reale
said, and Bear returned to her side. However, the coyotes were right
behind him. "I grabbed Bear and turned him around, and he saw them
coming and chased them away again," she said. This was repeated
several times, for about a mile, she said. "They followed us the
entire time, until we were (out of the woods) back on Met State
property," Reale said the coyotes were very close, but stayed in the
woods.
When Reale realized the coyotes weren't going away, she called 911 on
her cell phone, and the state police sent two troopers from the
Brighton barracks on Soldier's Field Road, plus Waltham Animal
Control Officer Ann Campobasso.
According to Waltham police, Campobasso found Reale and Bear near the
rear buildings on the Met State property, visibly shaken. The coyotes
were not in sight, and Campobasso gave Reale and Bear a ride back to
her car, parked at McClean Hospital.
Reale described the three coyotes as one grayish, one light brown and
whitish, and one light brown. They looked like thin, mangy dogs, she
said.
State police Lt. Paul Maloney said, while there are many coyote
sightings, this incident was unusual because of the report of the
animals acting as a pack and following a person. Usually, they don't
bother anything bigger than a cat or small dog, he said.
Capt. William Stanton of the Waltham Police Department said the
department plans to investigate the incident, to see whether it is
related to a family of coyotes that was coming into back yards in the
Worcester Lane area from Prospect Hill last June. He said the coyotes
described by Reale appeared to be a family, rather than a hunting
pack. Normally, they do not pose a serious risk, Stanton said.
Meanwhile, animal control officers in Norwood and Walpole say they
are seeing more coyotes than ever before in their towns and their
numbers are increasing.
Both men said the deer and feral cat populations are declining, and
they attribute those declines to hungry coyotes.
Norwood Animal Control Officer Henry Cerqueira said the coyotes breed
prolifically and have adjusted to living in the suburbs.
Walpole Animal Control Officer John Spillane said he knows of only
one report of a coyote attacking a person, and that was a child in
southeastern Massachusetts. But, he said, coyotes will become more of
a threat as their numbers rise and their food sources decline.
One Sharon resident who lives on the Walpole line where there are
many sightings said, "I know you're not supposed to be afraid of them
but they get scary when they swarm around in packs of two or three in
the yard." Keke Morgan said she sees the coyotes so frequently she
never bothers to report them. "We just moved here from Ayer and had
them over there, too."
In Waltham, Stanton said the department will consult with the state
Department of Environmental Affairs, but, normally, coyotes can't be
relocated unless they are thought to be a serious danger.
"I love my dog. I don't think I'll be going there any more," said
Reale.
This happened @ "Rock Meadows" LB in MA Beware
3 messages in this thread |
Started on 2002-12-20
This happened @ "Rock Meadows" LB in MA Beware
From: Brian, Ryan & Lori (bconnoll@marksonrosenthal.com) |
Date: 2002-12-20 13:58:24 UTC
Re: [LbNA] This happened @ "Rock Meadows" LB in MA Beware
From: (HANNAHKAT@aol.com) |
Date: 2002-12-20 10:52:46 UTC-05:00
Coyote are very common in MA and as the experts say, they are not usually looking for trouble. They are looking for food. You are NOT their food and neither is a large dog.They will take cats and small dogs as food. Obviously they do not know that you don't want them to eat your cat. Physically they are not large animals and would be no match for a german shepard or other large dog.
We field calls at the Sanctuary here where I work all the time about coyote and I always tell them the same things.
Obviously you should not ever approach or try to feed any kind of wild mammals. This will cause them to lose their fear of humans.
A wild animal in this situation is NOT tame. It just no longer views you as a threat and will treat you like any other competitor for space and food and may act aggresive. When you observe this behavior in a healthy animal you have only humans to blame....for leaving their pet's food out, for not storing garbage securely, for letting cats and dogs run loose and often for deliberately trying to tempt them closer for wildlife viewing.
The resurgence of coyote in the last few years is also due to rampant development. Often people are surprised to see coyote in their new housing development or in urban areas. Twenty years ago it was extremely unusual to see coyote in eastern Mass. because they were too skittish to venture into suburban neighborhoods.
However, with the methods employed in development we are clear cutting wooded areas and building houses. Now rather than the tight, enclosed and wooded neighborhoods we've had around since the 1950's or so, we have vast new areas of open space of huge lots created by these new housing developments. Coyotes love open space, not wooded areas. So we are creating wonderful new habitat for the coyote to exploit. Again, thanks to humans!
It is not unusual to see a mother with grown pups this time of year still hanging out together and that is what this lady probably encountered. They are not a pack animal in the same sense that wolves and dogs are. In fact, as a naturalist and biologist,as well as dog trainer, I would remind people that you are at much greater risk from a pack of dogs than a "pack" of coyote. Dogs don't fear you.
My hope that is that people do not develop fears about wildlife (especially given the sensationalistic nature of the media...mosquitoes, ticks, hogweed etc)but develop instead a healthy appreciation and respect for them. They are only moving back into areas that were theirs to begin with.
If we are to keep expanding the space we take up as humans we can only expect to have more interactions with wildlife. They have been the ones adapting all this time. Now we have to adapt a little too.
If you love your cat or small dog keep them indoors (or at the very least supervised outside). If you want to deter wildlife from coming too close, put trash in secure containers and take in your barbecue grill grates and monitor your birdfeeders. They only take a small effort, but can make a great difference.
Sorry to go on and on, but it's the environmental educator in me. If folks have further concerns, they can call the Mass Audubon Wildlife Information line at 781-259-9500 x 2150 for recorded and live answers to your questions.
Stay safe and have a great holiday!
-Kim (aka Rustypuff)
We field calls at the Sanctuary here where I work all the time about coyote and I always tell them the same things.
Obviously you should not ever approach or try to feed any kind of wild mammals. This will cause them to lose their fear of humans.
A wild animal in this situation is NOT tame. It just no longer views you as a threat and will treat you like any other competitor for space and food and may act aggresive. When you observe this behavior in a healthy animal you have only humans to blame....for leaving their pet's food out, for not storing garbage securely, for letting cats and dogs run loose and often for deliberately trying to tempt them closer for wildlife viewing.
The resurgence of coyote in the last few years is also due to rampant development. Often people are surprised to see coyote in their new housing development or in urban areas. Twenty years ago it was extremely unusual to see coyote in eastern Mass. because they were too skittish to venture into suburban neighborhoods.
However, with the methods employed in development we are clear cutting wooded areas and building houses. Now rather than the tight, enclosed and wooded neighborhoods we've had around since the 1950's or so, we have vast new areas of open space of huge lots created by these new housing developments. Coyotes love open space, not wooded areas. So we are creating wonderful new habitat for the coyote to exploit. Again, thanks to humans!
It is not unusual to see a mother with grown pups this time of year still hanging out together and that is what this lady probably encountered. They are not a pack animal in the same sense that wolves and dogs are. In fact, as a naturalist and biologist,as well as dog trainer, I would remind people that you are at much greater risk from a pack of dogs than a "pack" of coyote. Dogs don't fear you.
My hope that is that people do not develop fears about wildlife (especially given the sensationalistic nature of the media...mosquitoes, ticks, hogweed etc)but develop instead a healthy appreciation and respect for them. They are only moving back into areas that were theirs to begin with.
If we are to keep expanding the space we take up as humans we can only expect to have more interactions with wildlife. They have been the ones adapting all this time. Now we have to adapt a little too.
If you love your cat or small dog keep them indoors (or at the very least supervised outside). If you want to deter wildlife from coming too close, put trash in secure containers and take in your barbecue grill grates and monitor your birdfeeders. They only take a small effort, but can make a great difference.
Sorry to go on and on, but it's the environmental educator in me. If folks have further concerns, they can call the Mass Audubon Wildlife Information line at 781-259-9500 x 2150 for recorded and live answers to your questions.
Stay safe and have a great holiday!
-Kim (aka Rustypuff)
Re: [LbNA] This happened @ "Rock Meadows" LB in MA Beware
From: (HANNAHKAT@aol.com) |
Date: 2002-12-20 10:52:50 UTC-05:00
Coyote are very common in MA and as the experts say, they are not usually looking for trouble. They are looking for food. You are NOT their food and neither is a large dog.They will take cats and small dogs as food. Obviously they do not know that you don't want them to eat your cat. Physically they are not large animals and would be no match for a german shepard or other large dog.
We field calls at the Sanctuary here where I work all the time about coyote and I always tell them the same things.
Obviously you should not ever approach or try to feed any kind of wild mammals. This will cause them to lose their fear of humans.
A wild animal in this situation is NOT tame. It just no longer views you as a threat and will treat you like any other competitor for space and food and may act aggresive. When you observe this behavior in a healthy animal you have only humans to blame....for leaving their pet's food out, for not storing garbage securely, for letting cats and dogs run loose and often for deliberately trying to tempt them closer for wildlife viewing.
The resurgence of coyote in the last few years is also due to rampant development. Often people are surprised to see coyote in their new housing development or in urban areas. Twenty years ago it was extremely unusual to see coyote in eastern Mass. because they were too skittish to venture into suburban neighborhoods.
However, with the methods employed in development we are clear cutting wooded areas and building houses. Now rather than the tight, enclosed and wooded neighborhoods we've had around since the 1950's or so, we have vast new areas of open space of huge lots created by these new housing developments. Coyotes love open space, not wooded areas. So we are creating wonderful new habitat for the coyote to exploit. Again, thanks to humans!
It is not unusual to see a mother with grown pups this time of year still hanging out together and that is what this lady probably encountered. They are not a pack animal in the same sense that wolves and dogs are. In fact, as a naturalist and biologist,as well as dog trainer, I would remind people that you are at much greater risk from a pack of dogs than a "pack" of coyote. Dogs don't fear you.
My hope that is that people do not develop fears about wildlife (especially given the sensationalistic nature of the media...mosquitoes, ticks, hogweed etc)but develop instead a healthy appreciation and respect for them. They are only moving back into areas that were theirs to begin with.
If we are to keep expanding the space we take up as humans we can only expect to have more interactions with wildlife. They have been the ones adapting all this time. Now we have to adapt a little too.
If you love your cat or small dog keep them indoors (or at the very least supervised outside). If you want to deter wildlife from coming too close, put trash in secure containers and take in your barbecue grill grates and monitor your birdfeeders. They only take a small effort, but can make a great difference.
Sorry to go on and on, but it's the environmental educator in me. If folks have further concerns, they can call the Mass Audubon Wildlife Information line at 781-259-9500 x 2150 for recorded and live answers to your questions.
Stay safe and have a great holiday!
-Kim (aka Rustypuff)
We field calls at the Sanctuary here where I work all the time about coyote and I always tell them the same things.
Obviously you should not ever approach or try to feed any kind of wild mammals. This will cause them to lose their fear of humans.
A wild animal in this situation is NOT tame. It just no longer views you as a threat and will treat you like any other competitor for space and food and may act aggresive. When you observe this behavior in a healthy animal you have only humans to blame....for leaving their pet's food out, for not storing garbage securely, for letting cats and dogs run loose and often for deliberately trying to tempt them closer for wildlife viewing.
The resurgence of coyote in the last few years is also due to rampant development. Often people are surprised to see coyote in their new housing development or in urban areas. Twenty years ago it was extremely unusual to see coyote in eastern Mass. because they were too skittish to venture into suburban neighborhoods.
However, with the methods employed in development we are clear cutting wooded areas and building houses. Now rather than the tight, enclosed and wooded neighborhoods we've had around since the 1950's or so, we have vast new areas of open space of huge lots created by these new housing developments. Coyotes love open space, not wooded areas. So we are creating wonderful new habitat for the coyote to exploit. Again, thanks to humans!
It is not unusual to see a mother with grown pups this time of year still hanging out together and that is what this lady probably encountered. They are not a pack animal in the same sense that wolves and dogs are. In fact, as a naturalist and biologist,as well as dog trainer, I would remind people that you are at much greater risk from a pack of dogs than a "pack" of coyote. Dogs don't fear you.
My hope that is that people do not develop fears about wildlife (especially given the sensationalistic nature of the media...mosquitoes, ticks, hogweed etc)but develop instead a healthy appreciation and respect for them. They are only moving back into areas that were theirs to begin with.
If we are to keep expanding the space we take up as humans we can only expect to have more interactions with wildlife. They have been the ones adapting all this time. Now we have to adapt a little too.
If you love your cat or small dog keep them indoors (or at the very least supervised outside). If you want to deter wildlife from coming too close, put trash in secure containers and take in your barbecue grill grates and monitor your birdfeeders. They only take a small effort, but can make a great difference.
Sorry to go on and on, but it's the environmental educator in me. If folks have further concerns, they can call the Mass Audubon Wildlife Information line at 781-259-9500 x 2150 for recorded and live answers to your questions.
Stay safe and have a great holiday!
-Kim (aka Rustypuff)