Coyotes may have surrounded woman for food

Wait, were the 4 labs also surrounded?

I sometimes see one in my yard (Boxboro) and hear them at night...sound like a bunch of screaming girls, quite eerie

Last year there was a coyote booking it down Cambridge St. in Inman Sq, Cambridge. It was just after 2am and it banged a right on Springfield St. A few days later, there was a report of a coyote caught in the North End. That was in January of last year, I think.

Leave them alone... and all the other wild life too!

The woman is a ditz and these coyotes have a peculiar appetite for ditzes.

On the Newton Upper Falls/Newton Highlands line just off Needham St.

Regarding the above article. Wouldn't it be prudent to confirm what really happened?
As mentioned in the original report, there were no witnesses to confirm what really happened to the woman.
This is journalism?
People will do anything to get their 15 minutes of fame and you are an enabler.
This is the reason the Globe is on the way out.

I also live in Groveland and coyotes have been a daily problem. Police deptment will not help because they are protected. I have lost 3 cats in past two years -- just disappeared!!! We have over three acres and I no longer walk on my own land because coyotes have taken over.

I also live in Groveland and coyotes have been a daily problem. Police deptment will not help because they are protected. I have lost 3 cats in past two years -- just disappeared!!! We have over three acres and I no longer walk on my own land because coyotes have taken over.

At the State House.

When is hunting season?

The other day a large but mangy coyote came loping through my back yard in Needham at dusk - until our two dogs gave chase and he galloped away in high gear. I also surprised a coyote on a beach near Woods Hole early one recent morning. And two years ago, I saw six coyotes all bunched together in the middle of that marsh leading out to the Squantum section of Quincy. Sure looked like a pack to me, but maybe it was just one big happy family.

I saw a good size one two weeks ago at 5:30 am barrelling down Russett rd in West Roxbury at 5:30 am

Coyote 1: "Mmmm... I love labs"

Coyote 2: "There's lots of meat on them, but they can be gamey too."

Coyote 3: "Am I the only one who thinks that big thing would make the meal of a lifetime?"

Coytoe 4: "Only one way to find out!"

One afternoon I was walking my dog in the woods near Spring House. This is an elderly housing place on Allandale Road on the JP/Brookline border. We disturbed two coyotes who were napping in the tall grass. They got, looking all disheveled, and walked away. I think we all ought to learn to live with animals and not be tranquilizing and messing with them so much.

Brookline, Weston and Watertown

I saw one in the pre-dawn hours on the street parallel to mine in East Weymouth. It stood in the middle of the road as I stopped my car, and stayed there for a while in my headlights before scampering off into a back yard.

I have seen many coyotes in my neighborhood. I
live in middleton MA. MY Neighbors dog was carried off by a coyote.
I have seen one in my driveway and I was by the house,(above the driveway )and the coyote stared up at me.. If we go for a walk we take a golf club just in case we see a golf coarse. :) Seriously, there are a lot of coyotes in this area.

I have seen coyotes feeding off donuts quite often. Wait, that's the fat, lazy, donut-eating Boston cops...

Not directly - voting yes on Ban Cruel Traps in 1996 is the core cause.

Good job, as predicted, now we have an overly large coyote population going after adults with dogs with them.

Ban Cruel Traps! Yes we can!

This is a PURE and DIRECT example of what happens when people vote on feel-good legislation without understanding the real issues - like is there any real benefit and what are the negative implications. People - THINK when you VOTE.

Good job sheeple, time to get eaten. If you voted for Ban Cruel Traps then don't cry wolf over this. Bad pun fully intended.

pun intended).

I have seen a single coyote foraging around (digging up turtle eggs) in the open space behind our house three times in the past week. We have been in our house for 16 years, and this is the first year we have seen the coyotes.
Rowley, MA

it's pretty obvious they were driven by hunger, animals don't generally decide to go around bullying for the sake of it. Too much development is forcing animals to wander into areas and do desperate things they wouldn't otherwise do. It's not their fault, their land is vanishing. However, people and pets can't be in fear, it's a tough hoice, but either put the coyotes onto a reservation or eliminate them. If bunnies and squirrels were big enough to attack people they would as well, the animals are beingh driven off their land..... :( it's only a matter of time before we all spin into oblivion anyway.....

More urban sprawl, more coyotes. Pretty simple connection.

I don't buy this story. 4 Labrador Retrievers at a minimum of 50 lbs each and 1 adult, no way she was in danger from 4 coyotes. I see them daily, but they do not come through the yard where my 4 labs are. If they were watching her it was for curiosity. One of those labs runs after one of them, the coyotes would have beat a path.

My wife saw one loping through our yard with a cat in his mouth.

Three weeks ago at 6AM.

We live in North Beverly

We won't let our cats out unaccompanied before 9AM or after 4PM

Well, since there have been 4 incidents where coyotes have bitten humans in Massachusetts in recorded history, it is more than ridiculous that people should be afraid of them. People are bitten every day by domesticated dogs in Massachusetts and thousands are bitten every year.

This is the same boogeyman type of thought process that caused us to erradicate wolves in this area a hundred years ago. You people are ridiculous, grow a pair!

There are too many Coyotes because so many people will not let people hunt, almost all conservation land is protected and can not be hunted on. All town owned land in my town (not sure about others but it is a pretty safe assumption) that the land can not be hunted on. Now everyone is crying about losing cats and dogs, well the next time a hunter asks for permission to hunt on you land think about it and say yes. You can always have your own restriction with that hunter, like two of the spots that I have permission to hunt on will only let me hunt with my bow, no shotgun or muzzle loaders. Ask if the hunter will take a coyote if they see one and most will say yes. Coyote season is from Jan 1 til Mar 7th and OCt 17 until March of 2010

I don't think this is a "direct example" of banning leg traps. How many people were actually setting leg traps in the suburbs? (And if they were, I think the leg traps would be more danger to kids that the coyotes.) I do think that the increase of wildlife in general (wild turkeys, deer, coyotes and this week bears) is a result of the increase in wooded area in Massachusetts over the past hundred years, coupled with the decreased hunting. (Maps from the late 1800s show that most of the forests had been cleared, to allow farming, for fuel and to make charcoal.)

Coyotes should be killed, removed and buried. This is a wild animal which is NOT native to the northeast. When hungry it will eat anything which it is larger than, and that includes our family pets, racoons, skunks, possums, field mice, birds. This is not an endearing animal and we are city dwellers, not cattle or sheep ranchers.
Millenia ago we domesticated animals and allowed them to live close to us. We killed off any animal that threatened them. Why were our ancestors wiser than we are? They kept reasons simple.
We should live with wild animals like this? By choice? At what point do the true hearts allow us to live in peace? After wild animals kill humans? When they kill children? When they kill teenagers? If they show up in our neighborhoods, should we then kill only tigers? wolves? rattle snakes? buffalo? polar bears?

Definitely do not feed them...

"I don't buy this story. 4 Labrador Retrievers at a minimum of 50 lbs each and 1 adult, no way she was in danger from 4 coyotes."

Coyotes are wild animals that kill their own food. Labs are pretty docile pets. Sort of like the hood rat vs. the suburbanite. I think the coyotes would probably have won, unless they were really underweight. I lived in the west for a while, you'd be surprised what those things can kill.

I SAY GET RID OF ALLLLL OF THEM...OF COURSE THE WOMAN WAS TELLING THE TRUTH..DO YOU THINK THAT IS ALL SHE HAS TO DO IS MAKE UP A STORY LIKE THIS ... THE POOR WOMAN I FEEL SO BAD FOR HER AND THX GOD SHE AND HER DOGS ARE SAFE.....COYOTES ARE A HUGE PROBLEM AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHOM SAY THAT ARE NOT... TRY HAVING THEM SCOOP UP ONE OF YOUR ANIMAL'S ONE DAY... I SAY GET RID OF THEM ALLLLLL...

@ Mark in N Beverly...

Your comment cracked me up - all I can picture is that old cartoon with the wolf and sheepdog punching in and out of work.
the cats punch out at 4PM when the coyotes shift starts... heh heh.

Waltham and Wellfleet. One walks on by our back yard each morning in Wellfleet. We shout, raise our arms, give chase, and try to scare her away.

Last year a male peed on our bird bath as it went by.

Coyotes are very adaptable and would be in populated areas without habitat pressures. The lack of predators, ie. hunting/trapping bans, will only increase their numbers and feeding requirements.
I agree that they sound more curious than threatening and would have bolted if the dogs made a move toward them.
Please don't let historical human fear of any predator amplify sightings into problems. Nor be foolish enough to think that living in your concrete village with wildlife knowledge acquired from Disney movies and PETA entitles you to pass judgement on people who actually live with these animals.

I live in Carlisle and I came across a pack of 7 in Great Brook State Park last winter. They cared less about my presence; more interested in drinking water from the banks of Tophet Swamp. Suffice to say I beat it out of there. I've seen moose and black bear around town as well.

Perfect answer Mark! Watch your small animals if you have to let them outside at all. We see more and more wild animals because all we are doing is building malls and McMansions in THEIR space. Where are they supposed to go??

And why in the world did they tranquilize the deer in Dorchester?? They aren't going to attack you. Just let them be!

Did they have a big box labelled ACME?

Suspect the explanation that these were young adolescent curious (not dangerous) coyotes is true. The thought that they were a pack thinking of attacking four dogs and a woman just doesn't make any sense. It would be totally aberrant coyote behavior.
Being afraid of something does not mean that the situation was actually dangerous. Learn more about coyotes.

google coyotes and check out the image of the coyote on the train and read the material from the enyclopedia britianica

We have a coyote in our neighborhood who is pretty aggressive. He'll come up on to your deck if you have a small animal nearby or even at the doorway in your house if he smells or hears a small dog barking. And if they smell a cat, forget it. The cat is toast. A neighbor of mine lost two in one year.

Coyotes are wary of labs but are not afraid to approach and even attack small dogs and definitely cats. Unfortunately, due to increasing residential and commercial development, they have no where to go. Same is true for skunks and raccoons.

My wife saw one loping through our yard with a cat in his mouth.

Three weeks ago at 6AM.

We live in North Beverly

We won't let our cats out unaccompanied before 9AM or after 4PM

i saw one 2 weeks ago walking down my street at about 10 pm... Norwood

Contrary to popular opinion, we are not crowding out coyotes, we are developing attractive suburban grassland habitats for them, complete with yummy kitty snacks. Seriously, according to National Geographic, coyotes originated in the Midwest and weren't seen in the east until the 20th Century.

Saw one in Easton last week with a rabbit in its mouth at 8.am

I saw a coyote on Gulf St. in Shrewsbury, MA back in 1997 scampering into the bush. I still live in Shrewsbury, but have not seen one since. Not sure what they are afraid of. We keep our cat out on a long leash. May be our kitty scares them away? :) Just kidding. We keep an eye on our leashed kitty, but so far, only chipmunks seem to be in any real danger.

#8. "We have over three acres and I no longer walk on my own land because coyotes have taken over."...Or maybe we took over their land in the first place.

Mark - Just be warned, coyotes are not nocturnal. We have seen them out in the daytime in our neighborhood often (Reading/Wakefield) and they are very healthy looking. They killed a small dog in the afternoon recently. I know first hand its very difficult to keep cats in if they are outdoor cats, but just wanted to inform you.

Traps are banned and the populations of these animals are increasing. They only have one natural preditor left, us. With most towns banning hunting, the natural fear is gone. The woods can only support so many healthy animals. When the number is exceeded, the animals move, or starve.
Much like ending spraying for mosquitos and ticks has made lyme, west nile, and EE increase. Not controling the populations of wildlife will also have negative impacts.

I live in the woods in West Gloucester for the past 22 years. Lots of coyotes, fisher cats, foxes, racoons, hawks, etc. I own dogs cats and chickens.
This is what I have learned.
1) Lock your pets in at night.
2) Keep your trash containers tightly covered.
3) Unless you actually witness a coyote killing a pet, don't ASSUME a missing pet was killed by a coyote or other predator. Many pets are hit by cars, and coyotes will pick up road kill and carry it off to feed thier pups.
5) Learn to live with the wildlife. They were here first.

Oh and one more thing. Coyotes are out during the day so we have a cat door into our barn which is too small for coyotes to get through. Cats also can climb trees to save themselves so as long as there is a tree nearby, a cat has a better chance to escape than a small dog left alone in the yard. If you have a small dog, a small dog door into the house or garage may be a lifesaver.
Also, cats go missing for many reasons- it is not unusual for cats to get into cars if the car door or trunk is left open unattended for a moment, or the window is down. (Our cat does this) . So cats can disappear with the UPS or oil delivery truck and coyotes blamed.

#6. Absolutely false, coyotes are not a protected species. And #20 is right, the means of wildlife control that do not rely on the government have been steadily eliminated by the voters. While I rarely agree with the wingnuts, on this case they are in the right. If you don't control wildlife these interactions will increasingly occur.

This story sounds unlikely. Coyotes are generally afraid of people and dogs that are of equal or larger size. Perhaps the woman in question saw a few coyotes and panicked causing her to misunderstand/exaggerate their intentions. In any case saying that we should kill off coyotes is absurd. Coyotes' ancestors are wolves which occupied this region until it became heavily settled. They have a right to exist and are an important component to a well balanced ecosystem. Some people may find this inconvenient but we can't go around killing off all wildlife we find inconvenient or dangerous ........It just does not work that way and thinking it should is a selfish, ignorant attitude.

coyotes are curious, but are not after you. They are doing their best to survive, finding new ways to do that. They are small game hunters, eat road kill and so on. My daughter was once surrounded by a pack of feral dogs and was saved by a man with a club (take out the leader). That was a scary situation! Besides, have you never seen a lab fight? Let's get a grip.

Lexington has them.

I saw a coyote standing in the middle of Rte. 2 in Cambridge across from
Alewife Station in the afternoon. As the cars advanced from the red light it walked calmly back to the high grass where it watched us drive by. In our neighborhood, we have seen a pack of crows drive out a fisher cat at 5 a.m., and a hawk at 3 p.m. Apparently here the crows rule over all.

So, nic power....did it ever occur to you to keep your cats indoors? Lost 3 cats and the police didn't do anything about it? But you can do something about it, don't get anymore cats!

coyotes consitenty consume rodents... rabbits.. racoons etc.. their top weight would be 50 lbs or less ..think of a maine coon cat on steroids... plus except for a mother coyote and her april born cubs ...coyotes are not pack hunters.. ever ever.. I think ms hysteria had 1/2 of a miller lite beer .. got herself veclempt and saw or imagined a lost shitzu..schnowzer or a wind blown plastic bag from the stop n shop and had the thrill of her life... did she call the national guard and perhaps the super friends too ( i believe aquaman and elongated man are filling in for batman and the wonder twins this weekend.) .. at the very most they looked n walked away

Last month a coyoate walked into our small yard, in a crowded residential neighborhood (fenced in on 3 sides open to the street) and grabbed our 5 lb yokshire terrier standing 5 feet from our deck and ran across the street into the woods. Needless to say we are devasted.
We have lost many dogs and cats in my town of Hingham. An elementary school in Hull could not let the children out to play a few years back because there were so many coyotes around the playfround.
I believe it is only a matter of time before they attack a child or person.

I lived in Groveland for 15 years and never saw one...not even my state rep

My lab was attacked in our yard at 2pm by three coyotes. I live on the cape and we are constantly told that coyotes pose no threat. Quite honestly the experts are merely advocates for the coyotes. Luckily my dog is big (95lbs) and was able to fight them off. There must be a missing dog or cat every week around here.

They are in Andover and I have seen them in groups; heard them barking at night and saw three of them come into my backyard last winter at dusk trying to find the rabbits (they knew exactly where to look).

I read in the local paper a woman walking her dog in Andover a couple of months ago was followed by a coyote. It was thought maybe this was more for mating reasons ... she was scared too! Anyone who scoffs at being afraid of such a situation is really being unfair -- of course it's frightening!

the woman should have given herself to the hungry coyotes.

Cats should stay indoors, dogs should be on a leash, and never leave a pet outside on a run if you live in a wooded area. I have had cats who lived inside all their lives and have done just fine.

Jim is correct, they were in NO danger at all. My labs send coyotes running, they are after cats.
If you spot coyotes do not let your cats out, they will hang around until they get every last one.
They have no interest in tangling with a dog, let alone four.

Reporters for the Globe should have called a few vets on the South Shore where suburbia has forced coyotes into more interaction with people and their pets. They can tell you about cats and dogs they've treated after they were mauled by coyotes.

Recently in Middleboro a Yorkie was killed by one right in front of his owner's eyes.

Reminder: coyotes can climb or jump fences as high as eight (or more feet).

Saw one on weymouth ave in west roxbury a few summers back. running right up the middle of the st.

A lot of ignorance on display here. "Cruel" traps would have no impact since you need a permit to kill a coyote, whatever the method. Coyotes are literally everywhere, so I don't get why folks are surprised to see them. I saw one on Congress St. about 5 years ago. Literally everywhere. Also, a healthy coyote would be very wary of a labrador sized dog. Coyotes are about a third the size of a wolf, so for the few that have never seen one, they are very small. House cats and toy dogs are fair game, but they don't go after normal sized dogs. And thank heaven for the coyotes around here. They are the only thing keeping the rabbit population below 50 per acre in the suburbs.

p.s they really hate paint guns. Wink wink.

Arlington has had them for years in the neighborhood behind the high school. Three summers ago I was followed several mornings a week by a coyote who trailed me and my two large labs (80lbs+) through my very residential neighborhood at 7am. I've also heard them at night howling practically in my yard and seen them walking down the middle of my street. But, we do have a lot of outdoor cats around here.

Stupid city people.

You take your life into your own hands driving around Boston everyday, and you're worried about coyotes!?

As for losing pets--wake up! If you live on this planet, you live in nature. You don't get a free pass for living in an urban area. Small things get eaten by bigger things all the time. Move food sources out of the coyotes' reach-- including garbage and pets--and their populations will drop. And no, we don't have to get all 19th century on them. We should have learned our lesson on that long ago.

I've had cats lost to coyotes in Foxboro - within a mile of Gillette. I have since moved to Marblehead (not because of the coyotes) and have seen some running down the street at 3am.

Thanks go out to the idiot animal lovers that think humans have no right to defend their turf against other animals. They are also responsible for the insanity around Canadian Geese are now at pest levels. Time has long since past where geese should be exterminated in many areas.

I think coyotes are great!!!

Would you prefer mountain lions like the have throughout the west?
How about grizzlies that munch on hikers and mountain bikers in B.C, Montana, Alaska, etc...
Would you prefer rattlesnakes and scorpions of the southwest?
How 'bout alligators of the south?

Wow, I live with a bunch of wimps and wankers.

\

For the lady that says she's lost 3 cats to coyotes. Here's a suggestion: STOP LETTING YOUR CATS OUT! Coyotes are wild animals that are supposed to be outside. They see something small and furry, they'll eat it. The avg life expectancy of an outdoor cat is 5 yrs. Indoor cats can live up to 20 yrs.

Yep, I've seen some of the fabled packs of coyotes while out golfing in Newton; five and six together at a time, just hanging out, sunning and watching the humans.

And um, they were big! Much larger than 50lb-size. Maybe golf course food is creating mutant coyotes.

Bottom line - whether you love them or could leave them, coyotes are wild animals and no one should ever be surprised at what a wild animal is capable of doing.

Wow - This is very scary. I won't let anyone out of my house anyway-since there are pigs running mad in the streets giving people the swine flu. Vegan forever!

Keep your pets indoors or leashed. Keep your garbage cans secure.
The coyotes are controlling the skunk, raccoon, rodent and possum population. I grew up around coyotes, they never attacked anyone in my town.

I saw a coyote around 1 AM this morning , 6/24
I was driving through Olmstead Park on Willows Pond Rd from Brookline towards JP. I saw the coyote - stopped my car, then he took off into the brush. After I drove passed the spot where he went into the woods, he stepped back out onto the road again...
There are ball fields and walking/cycling paths around there.
It was late, but it could have been dicey for someone walking their dog...

Has anyone seen a coyote around Weld Street/Centre Street in West Roxbury in the past week?

in my backyard in milton. it killed a cat. also people are finding dead rabbits and chipmunks around the neighborhood.

3 Am this morning, I watched 2 coyote rip apart a cat in my yard, I was stunned at the yipping and growling. We don't live near the woods or any construction.

My husband just saw a coyote catch a cat in our backyard in Winchester and take off with it in its mouth. Bye Bye, Kitty.

I have one as a pet.

Coyotes are scavengers and a healthy ingredient in the ecosystem. Would you prefer an abundance of rabied skunks, raccoons and possum running around all over the place? In the morning, do you like the look and odor-free smell of a lawn that hasn't been dug up by a skunk the night before? It's pretty simple: If you love your cats and small pets, keep them inside or stay with them when they're outside.

We have over three acres and I no longer walk on my own land because coyotes have taken over.

Posted by nic power June 12, 09 02:49 PM
******
I imagine the coyote's would like you to leave and return their habitat to them. Does anyone ever stop to consider the effects of unchecked human population growth? Apparently not. I'm on the coyote's side.

coyotes absolutely do hunt in packs; most canines do. we have them all over the place in california. they live in the city because life is easy. it's a lot easier to scarf up cats than it is coons. coons are a very tough kill.

and they are very fond of dog meat as well. sure, a big shepard or dobie can take a skinny 40-50 pound coyote one on one. but that's not how it works. a coyote will entice a dog into chasing it, keeping just out of reach. but the coyote pack works as a relay team. one will peel off, and rest, while another takes its place. the dumb dog is solo, and so angry he loses all judgement.

they will then run him absolutely ragged chasing one member of the pack after another, until they lead him to a remote enough area. at that point, the exhausted dog is suddenly surrounded by 8-12 hungry rested coyotes. same way wolves and coyotes run a grazer to death in the wild, nipping at its' flanks, weakening it bit by bit. the death of a hundred small nips, and they could bring down old buffalo bulls. domestic dog has no chance at those kind of odds, and techniques.

too many people think they are cute. they put out food. not just bagged food, but feral and domestic cats that are allowed to run loose, stray dogs, etc. cities are full of wildlife. possums, owls, hawks, coons, ground squirrels, skunks, rattlesnakes, deer, etc. any slope covered in ivy is full of rats and mice, and the buzzworms that feed on them. rats feed on bits and pieces of passed out feral people as well.

there was a couple of retired schoolteacher ladies whose home in pacific palisades (and the surrounding neighborhood) was overrun with thousands of big fat nasty rats, because the ladies thought they were so charming and cute, and had the right to live like anything else. so they bought literally hundreds of pounds of feed per week for their "pets." the neighbors were having staredowns with rats eyeing toddlers in the backyard playpens. la county health said they couldn't do anything, even after several years of complaints. evidently rats have rights, and advocate groups as well. (la weekly had a story of the year on them last year, you can easily google it for yourself.)

universal studios has hundreds of coyotes living on the grounds, large packs of them, scarfing up the trash, stray hot dogs, fries and other detritus. they are like the bloods and crips of the canine world. i drive a cab at night in la, and they are everywhere. coyotes running the streets of belair and beverly hills with fluffy and pookie gripped in their teeth, big grins firmly in place.

i saw a 8 point buck deer one night at 3 am, standing next to the sign for the sheraton universal, 6 feet from the sidewalk and roadway. my customer asked it was real, and then it lept off, and he said, "holy sh-t, i guess it is."

wildlife is everywhere, but there are none so blind to the real world as those who get all their info from tv and mass media.