Coyote captured on city street

(Andrew Cunningham/Tufts University)

Tufts veterinarian Flo Tseng was assisted by students in examining the coyote at the university's Grafton facility. He was in good condition.

By Globe Staff

Boston's North End had an unusual visitor in a fur coat yesterday: a coyote.

The wild animal, which may have wandered into the city after being disoriented by the snowstorm, was captured at about 6 p.m. by city animal control officers on North Washington Street near the bridge that leads into Charlestown, said Alan Borgal, director of law enforcement for the Animal Rescue League.

Borgal said the animal also appeared to have been injured, perhaps hit by a car, on its foray into the city. The animal was taken by the league to the wildlife clinic at the Tufts veterinary school in Grafton for treatment.

Borgal said coyotes have been spotted in various neighborhoods of the city before. But this sighting was unusual because the coyote, a young adult that weighed about 32 pounds, was far from any wooded area where it might be able to make its home.

"That North End area -- there's really no place for a coyote," he said.

Tufts spokesman Tom Keppeler said the young male coyote was healthy, and veterinarians hoped that the animal could soon be returned to the wild.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email