Dog is killed by coyote in Boston yard

[urbpan]

Dog is killed by coyote in Boston yard

And the "problem" finally comes to Boston. I'll throw it up to Urban Pantheist readers:

What is to be done about coyotes (or other potentially dangerous wild animals)in the city?

Comments

[miz-geek.livejournal.com]

When I volunteered at a wildlife rehab center in Ohio I learned that state law prohibited us from releasing any coyote that might be brought in. I think it was an old farm law - can't have the coyotes eating the chickens.

Are they big enough to eat the deer and the canada geese that are now problems everywhere?

[rwblackbird.livejournal.com]

The coyotes at my local airport look big enough to eat a deer, but I doubt they could even take on a goose.

I know for certain that they could deal with any strawberry, avocado, or watermelon problems.

[miz-geek.livejournal.com]

I just read a few lines of this article to my husband. His comment, "Coyotes in Boston? Hmmm. Well, I suppose there's enough garbage and stuff for them to eat. And west highland terriers."

Do you have a lot of strawberry problems?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

The coyotes in New England are bigger on average than in most other places. They could take a fawn, or an injured deer. Geese fight back pretty well. My Charlie killed one, but that's because he's more amphibious than the average coyote.

Coyotes like easy meals, and you can't get much easier than a small tethered dog. Hell, a tethered bear is easier prey than many animals.

Cat or dog food outside and trash (along with cats and tethered dogss) is what is going to draw them into residential neighborhoods. If Beast in the Garden is to be believed, a coyote that's feeding on pets is likely to graduate to small humans.

My advice is: Don't leave dogs chained outside, don't put cats out, fence your yard if you don't like wildlife, and if a coyote (, mountain lion, bear, wolf, chupacabra) does come into your yard scare it off with shouting and if necessary, force.

I for one want to live in a world where large animals come into cities--but we should collectively avoid becoming a food source for them. (Don't feed terriers to the coyotes, it only encourages them.)

Beast in the garden

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

A quick bit of on-line research leads me to believe that beast in the garden is entirely about cougars. I'm still pretty sure that there's no record od a coyote attacking a human. I'd actually forgotten about Maxi getting attcked by Krupa's dog. Was she actually tethered? If so, what fool put there hands close enough to her mouth to clip something to her colllar?

Re: Beast in the garden

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

"Beast in the Garden" is specifically about mountain lions, but it refers to an animal behavior principal (Habituation--where an animal becomes "used to" a given situation due to constant exposure without consequences) that I think applies here.

Here is some information about coyote attacks on humans (mostly small children, since they are in the natural prey size range.)

Re: Beast in the garden

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I knew you'd have the facts.

Re: Beast in the garden

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we used to tether Maxi next to that maple tree out back. Dad probably put her out there--he's got the broken fingers to prove it. I think you were at college when when she got attacked. I remember M+P+I all crying our eyes out all day after we took her to the vet. Amazing that they were able to sew her up.