Swampscott Animal Control Officer Helps Free Coyote Stuck On Boat

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Swampscott Animal Control Officer Daniel Proulx was part of a police response crew that helped free a curious coyote that got caught up in quite a seafaring adventure.

Massachusetts Environmental Police said a coyote was stuck inside a docked vessel at the Volunteer Yacht Club in Lynn on Friday. Environmental officers, with help from Proulx's coyote catchpole and his expertise corralling the canines, were able to free the nautical-minded rover believed to be from a nearby wooded area of Nahant.

"It was not hurt," Proulx said of the young coyote he estimates was about eight months old. "It will never come near a boat again. You can believe that."

Proulx said the coyote was successfully released back into the wild.

"It was harmless," Proulx aid. "It was just trying to get away from everyone. It kept biting the catchpole for a good few minutes. Finally, I looped it and I pulled it out. The only way out was through me, so I was a little worried with that. But I was more worried about it getting free and going into Lynn toward the construction area and Dunkin' Donuts. It would have had a horrible night."

Proulx said the unassuming boat owner arrived on deck Friday to find the coyote on the prowl. When startled, the coyote climbed into a storage compartment area of the vessel and got stuck. He was able to remove it with a short catchpole — an extension with a noose at the end that can be used to pull a stray or dangerous animal by its neck.

"It was young enough that I was able to treat it exactly like it was an aggressive dog," he said. "I stopped a couple of times bringing him out to make sure (the catchpole) wasn't too tight. That was probably the scariest part to loosen it up.

"I was in charge of it. If it got loose, and bit me because I wasn't paying attention, that's on me."

Proulx said he thinks the coyote came from the area of Nahant where they frequent because of the abundance of rabbits and mice. He said it probably wandered off course and into the boat because it was cold and windy that day.

He said the area's coyote population is critical to keeping the rat population in check, but added that people should be careful when it comes to letting their cats roam free in Swampscott.

"Keep your cats indoors," he advised. "Don't leave food out for stray cats or small animals when they come around.

"Be aware of going into your open sheds. Look before you go in. If you don’t have a fenced-in yard, don’t go in without looking."

Proulx said if you do encounter a coyote the best course of action is to try to scare it away from you and your property.

"They are really skittish," he said. "They are super skittish like squirrels. If it happens, reach down inside and give it a good roar, and that should drive them away."