Coyotes killing livestock at farm in Dartmouth
Farmer says he may have to sell
Frank Gwozdz says coyotes have made a meal out of his livestock so often in the past several months that the farmer is thinking of leaving agriculture.
“They are wiping me out,’’ Gwozdz said in a telephone interview yesterday from his 110-acre farm in Dartmouth in Southeastern Massachusetts. “I may have to cash in’’ and sell off all of the livestock.
In the past several months, Gwozdz said, coyotes have killed two cows, four calves, 14 goats, two lambs, two sheep, and numerous geese, ducks, and chickens.
“They are getting bolder and bolder,’’ Gwozdz said of the coyotes, which he believes may be holed up in neighboring Freetown State Forest.
Gwozdz said he and his family have tried to deter the animals, sometimes by standing guard into the early morning and by erecting a 6-foot high fence around the animal pens.
The coyotes tunneled under the fence and attacked after the humans left.
Gwozdz also has tried to use his emus, large ostrich-like birds he raises, as watchdogs, given the bird’s ferocious kicks and razor sharp nails. But, Gwozdz said, the emus did not protect the goats he put into their pens. Coyotes attacked and killed the smaller animals.
Gwozdz said he has asked the town for help, but has been told that it is a wildlife issue, not a matter that can be dealt with by the animal control officer, who deals primarily with domestic animals. An animal control official could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Laura Hajduk, a biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said Gwozdz seemed to be describing coyote attacks, although she said she has not received any reports from the farmer directly.
She said coyotes are territorial - a mated pair keeps jealous control over a 6- to 10-square-mile area - and are quick learners that never forget where they succeed in getting food. That’s why Gwozdz’s farm has been targeted more than once, she said.
Hajduk said farmers - and nonfarmers - need to be vigilant and aggressive in defending themselves, their pets, and their property from coyotes. She said the animals are in every community in the state, except for the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
She said homeowners who have seen coyotes in their neighborhood or their yard should take down birdfeeders because the feeders attract squirrels, which in turn attract coyotes. Garbage cans should be closed tight, and compost should be sealed in some way, because coyotes eat fruits and vegetables.
Dog owners should keep their pets on a leash, and if there is an encounter, a coyote will link the pet to the human and likely avoid contact.
Unleashed pets can be seen as competitors or prey, she said. Cats should be kept inside, she said.
Hajduk said the state allows trapping - rarely successful - and hunting of coyotes. Last season, which began after Columbus Day, hunters killed 489 coyotes, but only one was fooled by a trap, she said.
People need to reinforce the coyote’s natural fear of humans, a fear that can be eroded through more frequent contact with people, Hajduk said.
“Harass them,’’ she said. “When you do this, it maintains the natural fear of people. Also, do everything in your power to make sure you are not feeding them.’’
Humans, she said, need to respect coyotes, but not fear them. She suggested keeping a can with coins in it handy so it can be used to make a noise that intimidates coyotes and can be thrown at them to reinforce the message they need to leave.
“Coyote attacks on people are very, very rare,’’ she said. “You shouldn’t let coyotes intimidate you.’’
John Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. 
