Editorial: The wily coyote

Published on August 22, 2008

Jami Filiault is convinced that there are dozens of coyotes living in her Sunderland neighborhood. She's approached the town and the state but, without a mandate or directive, there's nothing anyone can do unless one of the coyotes behaves aggressively or begins to exhibit rabies-like symptoms.

So, Filiault's neighborhood will continue to lose cats, the coyotes will become more brazen and a confrontation between man and beast becomes a real possibility.

It is this impending conflict that we wish to avoid.

Most coyotes are fearful of humans, and keep their distance. They help maintain rodent, small mammal and deer populations, and they are a vital part of the Northeastern U.S. ecosystem.

But it should be noted that, in addition to pets, coyotes can sometimes see human beings as prey. The incidents of such attacks on people are well documented, and the headlines that have appeared on stories about them are none that we would want to print on our front page: "Coyote drags toddler from yard," "Woman bitten, two dogs dead after coyote attack," "Pitbull ailing after coyote attack," "Child bloody, crying after coyote attack." The list goes on.

The question, then, is what can be done to protect people and their pets from coyote attacks.

Moving the animals out of their territory is an option, but it's generally frowned upon by the state, as it believes that a relocated coyote is more likely to spread disease and suffer during a fruitless struggle for survival.

Securing potential sources of food that attracts coyotes - such as bird feed and trash - will only go so far, in addition to it being a practice that's next to impossible to enforce.

To keep unsavory incidences down in the commonwealth, another possible countermeasure would be to further lengthen the state's coyote hunting season, which this year will be from Oct. 18 to March 7, 2009. The season was increased by five additional weeks last year. Massachusetts happens to have the shortest hunting season in the nation for coyotes, a protected species in the Bay State. It's quite possible that it's time for a change.

Most important, what's needed is an immediate study of the state's coyote numbers. Officials figure the numbers around 10,000, according to recent news reports, and that the population is stable. Once a more accurate count is estimated, state biologists could come up with a management plan for the creature.

The coyote is a wild animal whose home is shrinking in the modern world. This is one of the lessons about the effect of development on wildlife.

In the Pioneer Valley, there has long been an effort to preserve land, whether for agricultural or environmental purposes. All of these kinds of actions help maintain habitat for the coyote. But humans in the Valley also do a good job of giving the coyote plenty of things to eat that aren't on its traditional menu, and that has the potential to turn deadly for people.

We need to face facts: The coyote isn't going to go away, and neither are the people who now occupy its former domain. Decisions need to be made about deeper management of the species. The state already monitors the bobcat, the New England Cottontail, the black bear and moose. The coyote should be added to list of assessed species, before we ask ourselves, "Why didn't we do it sooner?"