Malden Animal Control Urges Vigilance Around Coyotes

MALDEN, MA — The Malden Police Department has received several calls about coyotes in recent days, Animal Control Officer Kevin Alkins said. Residents are encouraged to keep an extra eye on dogs and cats while they are on a walk or out in the yard during the winter months.

Coyotes are medium-sized predators and opportunistic feeders, meaning they eat whatever is naturally available. This can include animals, birds, insects and fruits, as well as artificial sources like garbage, pet food, birdseed and compost.

"We want to minimize the risk and encounter with wildlife," Alkins said.

According to the MSPCA, between the 1950s and 2015, only five people have been bitten by a coyote in all of Massachusetts. Most, if not all, had rabies.

Steps to take:

To limit pet-wildlife interactions, animal control officers recommend keeping cats indoors and dogs on-leash as much as possible. If you want to let your pet off leash in your back yard, they recommend a six-foot wooden fence with spikes or pickets at the top, rather than a chain link fence, which a coyote can climb.

As with all wildlife protection: Board up any crawl space under your house or sheds to discourage the animals taking shelter there. Keep pet food inside, clean up bird feeder scraps and keep garbage in a secure spot to discourage scavengers.

When you see a coyote, haze it. Shouting, blowing a whistle, banging pots and pans, or spraying a water hose at them all make it uncomfortable for the shy animals to be near humans and will help ensure that coyotes don't start to get too close or keep visiting your yard.

How to recognize a coyote:

According to the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW), the eastern coyote looks like a 40-pound German Shepherd, but has longer and denser fur and pointed ears. The tail is long and bushy, and black at the tip. The coat is usually a brindled gray but can vary between creamy blond, red or nearly solid black.

The coat gets fluffier in the winter, making the coyote look bigger.

Report a coyote sighting online here or call Animal Control at 781-397-7171 ext. 2051.

Wildlife Education

Project Coyote

Hazing guidelines