Do we have a coyote problem in Massachusetts? An expert weighs in

With the exception of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, every community in Massachusetts has coyotes. As encounters and sightings continue to become more frequent, it’s worth asking: Do we have a coyote problem?

There have been reports of coyotes attacking dogs in places like Concord, Sudbury, and Wayland. A coyote even chased after a young girl walking her dog in Hingham. A pack of nine coyotes swarmed a man in Swampscott over the weekend, forcing him to call on the police for help.

Mike Huguenin, assistant director of research at Massachusetts Wildlife, stopped short of calling the recent uptick in coyote activity a problem, but said the animals have the capability of living in all different areas of the state.

“The more potential interactions with people, the more potential there is for negative interactions,” Huguenin told Boston 25 News.

Mass Wildlife has only documented about 25 cases of coyotes attacking people in recent decades, and Huguenin said each case involved an animal that was sick, rabid, or being fed by someone.

“Coyotes have a very natural wariness of people, and we always encourage people to enhance that wariness, harass them whenever you see them,” Huguenin said. “If they think they can get food from people, they’ll try do that. Then that’s when things can become dangerousness.”

Anyone who encounters a coyote should yell at the animal and try to scare it off. If that doesn’t work, Huguenin advised calling 911.

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