Nahant’s contract with wildlife officials to shoot, kill coyotes extended; 1 animal removed

By WCVB Staff

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    NAHANT, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Trained rifle experts have made three visits to a community on Massachusetts’s North Shore after federal sharpshooters were hired to kill “habituated coyotes.”

The town brought in the experts after residents reported being stalked or surrounded by coyotes while walking their pets.

Officials said as of Thursday, one coyote was removed during the three visits.

The agreement with the USDA and the ton has been extended for one year as the pupping season for coyotes is this month.

“The town of Nahant, like many other communities, has been dealing with habituated coyotes with multiple documented cases of aggressive behavior toward residents,” Board Chairman Gene Canty said in a statement. “MassWildlife has authorized our community to dispatch the problem coyotes but our legal options of ways to do that are limited, ineffective, and not practical.”

Experts said coyotes that become dependent on human-associated foods can become habituated and exhibit bold and aggressive behavior toward people and other animals.

Three times in the past year, a coyote has taken a pet off its leash while under the control of its owner, town officials said.

MassWildlife estimates there are a dozen coyotes in Nahant, which is more than what is considered typical for a one-square-mile suburban environment.

Coyote chases girl walking dog Hingham MassachusettsCoyote seen chasing after girl who was walking dog in Massachusetts town The town said non-lethal approaches to managing the issue have been unsuccessful, and box cage traps have a very low success rate, with just three successful trappings across the state in 10 years, according to MassWildlife.

“MassWildlife officials have taught us that the focus of our response to an increased population of coyotes in our town has to be education,” said Selectman Josh Antrim. “However, when coyotes become habituated and present a major significant public safety risk, we have to consider all legal means to eliminate that risk.”

The federal government killed about 64,000 coyotes nationwide in 2021.

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