Coyotes In Medford: What To Do

MEDFORD, MA — Coyotes in Medford? It won't come as a shock to seasoned pet owners, but seeing the wolf's scrawny cousin around town is more common and less worrisome than you may think (unless they start speaking at City Council meetings). The city will host an informational meeting, "Coyotes in Medford - A Free Educational Presentation," Thursday, March 12. The session will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Medford City Hall.

Retired Belmont Animal Control Officer and Project Coyote Representative John Maguranis will deliver the presentation in the City Council Chambers. The education-focused session will emphasize appropriate methods for deterring coyotes or discouraging a certain activity. It will also touch on the coyote's natural behavior, habitats, diet and identification, as well as pet and human safety, myths and facts.

According to Patch Neighbor Posts, a resident spotted two coyotes while he was walking his dog at Morrison Park in mid-January. Experts stress that coyotes are not aggressive and do not — even in packs — attack humans or anything much bigger than a very small dog. And because coyotes are generally skittish, they typically will only do that if there are no loud humans around.

The moral: Don't leave pets alone outside.

Coyotes are opportunistic feeders and will normally eat whatever is easiest to catch, wildlife experts say. They usually eat fruit and berries, small rodents, rabbits, birds and insects, as well as pet food and garbage. They size up their prey, and if there is a threat of getting injured, they won't take the risk.

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 781-393-2563.

Wildlife Education
Project Coyote
Hazing guidelines