Coyotes on the Cape

by Dr. Tracy Hampton

Wildlife on the Cape - most people agree it's a good thing. But what happens when animals start invading your space, killing your pets, and raiding your garbage? More and more people are complaining that coyotes have become one of the biggest pests on Cape Cod, and wildlife biologists are having a hard time dealing with the problem.

Ken Texaira has lived in Falmouth his entire life, and he remembers seeing all sorts of rabbits and chipmunks in his backyard when he was growing up. But not any more. Like many other residents, he complains coyotes are taking over - invading backyards, killing small animals, and going wherever they please.

Ken Texaira: "I was working on Main Street last month, and I saw two of them walking down the center of the street at 5:30 in the morning."

Texaira says he sees coyotes all the time, and it's gotten to the point where he's lost his tolerance for the animals.

Ken Texaira: "Coyotes around Falmouth need to be taken care of. There are too many, they're overpopulated, and they need to be managed."

Chrissie Henner, a wildlife biologist for the state division of fisheries and wildlife says coyotes used to be thought of as exotic animals that kept their distance and therefore remained somewhat mysterious. Now, they're becoming more acclimated to being around humans, and people aren't happy about that.

Chrissie Henner: "We struggle as biologists to manage species as natural resources and not allow them to become pests, but when species become overpopulated and human conflicts occur, they cross that border and they become pests, and then people want them removed."

But managing coyotes isn't easy. Henner says, to have any noticeable effect on the population, you have to kill off at least 70 percent of the animals every year. That's because decreasing the population actually stimulates reproduction in the surviving coyotes.

Chrissie Henner: "Research has shown that in areas where they try to control coyote populations, it's a physiological response in that as soon as there's fewer coyotes, they increase their litter size. 05745 So, we're fighting a losing battle here, and many people want to try to control these populations, but it's like throwing money away."

Henner says it's difficult to tell how many coyotes actually live on the Cape, but she gets thousands of calls a year from residents who spot them, and she's sure the population is on the rise. She says instead of taking the attitude that humans are the superior species, people should try to adapt to wildlife in the area.

Chrissie Henner: "In the northeast, we have bear, moose, coyotes, beaver, foxes, skunks, and people don't want them. But I think if they would step back for a moment and realize that there are simple things that we can do to coexist and also realize that we don't have much choice with these species that are very, very adaptive, that we'd all be better off."

Some of those simple actions include not feeding pets outdoors, keeping compost piles contained, and putting trash in secure barrels. Also, Henner says it's important to keep coyotes wary of humans, so don't feed or befriend them. But Anne Williams of Falmouth doesn't think any of that matters. Her dachshund was attacked recently by a coyote in her backyard, and the dog had to get twenty-two stitches.

Anne Williams: " I was there. I screamed, I hollered, I made noise. We have motion lights in the yard. The coyote wasn't afraid of the light. The coyote wasn't afraid of my screaming and yelling. When I hit it with a shoe, it finally dropped the dog and took off. All of our dogs are leashed, we keep are yard clean, all the things they say to do were already done."

Citizens like Williams say they'll continue to complain about coyotes until something is done. Many want to take matters into their own hands, so they're signing petitions to get the hunting season expanded - right now, it goes from November 1st to February 28th. And they want the current trapping ban lifted.


Dr. Tracy Hampton reports for the Cape & Islands NPR stations.