Boston TV news is abuzz tonight with the news of the hulking coyote photographed with a cat in its mouth in Auburndale.
That’s one big coyote and the caught-in-the-the-act photo definitely sends chills up the spine of our new kitten owning household, particularly since we lost our last cat to coyotes (not in Newton).
Much as it rattles me as a pet owner, I do think coyotes wandering our neighborhoods is just a normal part of the suburban eco-system we’re living in … sort of like the wild turkeys but with a bit more disturbing appetite.
Have you been spotting them lately on your streets. Seen any specimens as healthy as this big boy? If you do see one, be sure to report it here. Like anything, the more information the city has, the better job they can do managing it.
Let’s Urbanize, pave the city over and eliminate their habitat.
Cats should be kept indoors, and coyotes are not the only reason. Outdoor cats are also vulnerable to cars and disease. Another reason to keep them inside is the havoc they wreak on wild animal populations; domestic cats kill billions of birds and other wild animals each year in the United States alone, according to National Audubon Society.
It looks like the same one we saw 6 months ago loping across Walnut Street and between our house and our neighbors in the Highlands. We suspect he was the culprit that apparently took out the 16 turkey chicks we had seen days before, ( but not since ), that live on the property behind us.
We should wait until it attacks a child before we hunt it down, right?
I saw one that big–maybe this very yote–a week ago and he was a large. There’s definitely less rabbits around so they’re well fed.
I’ve also noticed quite a few cougars prowling around Newton’s establishments.
Emily,
That claim by the National Audubon Society is now well known to be the equivalent of Kinseys claim that 1 in 10 people are gay. It’s simply not true. The way in which the data was anthologized, the manner that the individual studies concentrated their focus….that finding of ‘a billion’ is preposterous. Especially in the US.
As a cat/pet lover, it is heartbreaking to see this photo. It’s even worse because it could have been avoided. Responsible pet owners should be keeping their cats inside and their dogs on a leash at ALL times. Cats will live a much longer healthier life when kept indoors away from cars, raccoons with rabies, fights with other cats, etc. Dogs left to run freely in a yard are far more likely to be taken by a coyote than a dog purposefully put on a leash and taken out. I know it’s inconvenient to get up and dressed just to let Rover out in the yard to do his business but it’s what you should do. Coyotes roam an area and when they see small prey they attack. They are far less likely to go anywhere near a human with a dog on a leash. And electric fences may keep your dog in the yard but it won’t keep a coyote out. Be responsible and leash your dog and keep your cat inside. And don’t leave food sources out for wild animals.
If you look at the coyote reporting map, it’s clear that coyotes have become part of then neighborhood wildlife. I’ve had a few encounters with one in my neighborhood. It didn’t show any particular fear of me and my dogs while snacking on a bunny breakfasts
I saw a healthy coyote last Jan on Lake ave . it was @7:15 am. Right in front of me crossing the rd. I saw a cat unknowingly cross in his direction so I turned my car around and was able to scare him away. Shortly after that I saw him eyeing a bunch of turkeys closer to the lake. I warned some cat owners in her area.
Emily Norton to Cats: NIMBY
Thanks for the coyote news. We occasionally have spotted them in our Newton Corner neighborhood, which is why why we make sure we keep our cat indoors at night and close by during the day (I’m not buying, nor am I debating, the “no outdoor cats” thing- well, actually our cat isn’t buying it, he sent the Audubon Society pamphlet back to me with his corrections).
We saw a coyote like that across the street from our house two Thanksgivings ago. I was surprised to see it because we live in a part of Newton that is more urban and our street is right off the Pike and some major Newton roads. It was only 2 months after our entirely indoor cat escaped and never came back, so it made me feel pretty pessimistic about what happened to our cat knowing that such a big coyote was right on my block.
I wish they would eat more turkeys.
It amazes me that the coyotes can survive in a suburban environment. They must be crossing some of Newton’s busiest traffic routes quite often.
There are so many rabbits and turkeys to feast on right now. No wonder they are so big. They are not afraid of us because we do not hunt or attack them. I expect to see more, with the number of prey animals in the area. Expect to see more and cougars as well. Apex predators are on their way back!
@Kim: Are you disputing that outdoor cats kill birds?
Interesting lecture about 3 or 4 years ago by the Mass State Wildlife Dept that i attended to learn about the scourge of nasty wild turkeys also included info on coyotes. Turns out that coyotes cover the us coast to coast, are territorial, claiming an acre each in cities where food is always available and up to 7 in the country where they have to hunt harder. Their population is growing (duh) and, unfortunately they don’t eat turkeys! Turkeys have been introduced by the department because they were disappearing. Same department that wanted to introduce rattlesnakes on island peninsula in or near quabbin reservoir!
The turkeys are pretty nasty. I’ve gotten chased by them before while I was just minding my own businesses. I swear I see more and more every year.
@Emily: I think it’s pretty clear that Kim was disputing the number of birds killed by cats, not that it happens at all. There is quite a large gap between billions and zero, but apparently not so large that you can’t make the leap.
I think the new term is Coywolves. Hybrid wolves and coyotes. Bigger than a coyote. This looks like one. Have spread through NE.
Saw one in Newton Center one evening near the new firehouse a few months back. Running along the road between the firehouse and Walgreens.
Can we introduce something that DOES eat turkeys? (Other than us, I mean – too much work for me to pluck and dress one.)
I recall that one of our state agencies was repairing a huge rainwater drainage pipe near the Charles River where they found an abandoned Coyote lair. The engineers found several (I think the figure was more than 50) cat collars among the debris.
We brought a stray black cat back from Bermuda 6 years ago and have kept her in the house since she came stateside. Any cat is vulnerable, but this particular cat is sweet and gentle and totally clueless about what’s outside the house. She’s descended from a long line of strays that grew up in an environment where there were no predators that fancied cats. She’s grown a bit portly in recent times and we keep telling her that she’d make a nice, plump treat for a coyote or fisher cat. Hopefully, that never happens to her or other cats in our neighborhood.
@Jay thanks so much for the clarification. Audubon says billions, Kim says something other than billions, my point still stands that cats should be kept indoors in order to prevent bird slaughter.
You’re very welcome, Emily. I do agree that cats should be kept inside. I just wish that you had as much concern for humans who could use affordable housing as you do for other species.
Does anyone else think this image is photoshopped? The lighting is really weird and inconsistent from the foreground to background. Not saying this isn’t a problem in Newton, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the coyote’s size was “enhanced” a little bit with some Adobe magic.
@Emily, you may be interested in reading Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom”. It talks extensively about the problem of domestic cats killing birds.
I kniw it’s not pc, and I am not ignoring cat or coyote food preferences, but i feel the unbridled urge to say: “I taught I taw a puddy cat”
@Sallee, having lost our children’s cat to a coyote attack several years ago, I truly wish you had resisted that urge. It was gauche.
Buf in the Globe article a Wildlife Expert stated that because the animal already has its winter coat it looks larger than it is. He said it likely weighs 40lbs but could weigh up to 50lbs. The one I saw last year had a pretty solid back end around the same size as the one in the picture but was a bit smaller in the chest.
@Jay. You’ve leveled a bum rap against Emily on the cat versus bird issue that deserves a bit of a rebuttal. You more than imply that her deep concern for our small feathered friends reflects a mindset that is indifferent to or even hostile to affordable housing and, by inference, other human needs in Newton. All because of Emily’s opposition to certain huge and disruptive development schemes that contain small sweeteners for affordable housing.
God, how often have I heard charges like this one from you. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time that those concerned with the welfare of animals or the environment have been unfairly condemned by assorted no nothings who claim that these rights are being prioritized above the servicing of human needs. Emily has successfully fended off many other such over the top charges in the past, and I’m certain this will bounce harmlessly off her as well.
@Bob: I would think that true concern for the environment would lead one to support urban density, which is a more environmentally sustainable model than single-family housing. I do agree that the affordable housing provisions in the projects that you mentioned were small, but they were a start. Future “schemes” should be more “huge” and more “disruptive”–to the local housing market. I’m sure that you’re correct, my comments will bounce harmlessly off Emily, and she will continue on a sanctimonious person of means, supporting superficial measures like the plastic bag and leaf blower bans that won’t inconvenience her comfortable life, rather than those that might make a real difference but would alter the “character” of the city that she has been privileged enough to be able to afford to live in. And no, I’m not an opponent of these trivial bans, or of cats being kept indoors, or of veganism. I am opposed to misplaced priorities.
@jay, I glad your priorities are in the minority !
You know public safety trumps all! Out west they have hunting seasons and bounties on coyotes because they kill sheep and goats and steers hire some hunters to take them out! They only thing they fear is a bullet! And before a child is hurt or worse let’s grow a brain and do something about! It’s more important an issue than plastic bags leaf blowers or development!
If you keep an eye out, you’ll note that Coyotes have a method to their locations. If your “trash day” is Wednesday, they will be sleuthing your neighborhood from Tuesday night till Wednesday night. Ours just trot down the street on pick up days. If they cant find food in the barrels, cats will do just fine.
I can confirm that coyotes hunt turkeys. I saw a large coyote in Newton Cemetery with a big turkey in its mouth.