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Wildlife Conflicts in the Press
This is a partial list of stories in recent years that
have
made it into newspaper print and a snapshot of conflicts
occurring throughout Massachusetts. It
illustrates that societal conflicts with wildlife are very real and not
just an abstract possibility. These stories underscore the fundamental need for a
balanced, responsible approach to wildlife management from
both societal
and ecological perspectives that
incorporate proactive lethal and
non-lethal approaches. They give a glimpse into what's really happening on the
ground. These stories are not posted here to ignite
public fears, but to highlight that a multi-dimensional, scientifically based management
approach concerning our furbearers is critical for the continued long-term positive
co-existence with wildlife. Highly regulatedfurbearer harvests,using the best
available tools currently banned or extremely restricted may not solve all these issues, but it is
surely a critical missing component in dealing with and reducing conflicts.
The list will be updated as additional stories come to
our attention and as time allows to post them.... If you know of a recent, relative
story and the source, please let us know. The CRWM
is compiling an ongoing database of wildlife conflicts, and your help in building this
list is greatly appreciated. Please contact us at:
ConserveWildlife@macrwm.org
A crazed coyote that terrorized a tony Westchester town was gunned down Monday
after attacking three people - and biting off its puppy's head when trappers
cornered it.The bloodthirsty beast began its
rampage late Sunday when it wandered out of the woods onto a Rye Brook
cul-de-sac and made a beeline for a group of kids tossing a football.Standing in the mangy mutt's way was Eric Mandel. "It came after me -
attacked me and lunged at me," the 14-year-old said. "I smacked it out of the
way before it had a chance to bite me. I did it twice. Then I smacked a third
time and scared him off and chased it away from the other kids." Eric suffered
minor cuts to his hands. Less than an hour later, the beast reappeared a half
mile away, where it sneaked up onto a family's front yard and tried to snatch a
2-year-old girl who sat with her dad. "We were sitting outside playing," said
Jared Zuckerman. "I sensed something out of the corner of my eye, but by that
time it was grabbing her." Before the animal could bite down on the child's arm,
Zuckerman pulled her away, but the wild canine wasn't prepared to let him off
that easily."I grabbed [the 2-year-old] and
turned around and [the coyote] grabbed my tush - it was just a superficial
wound," he said. "It barely got [the child]. She was very lucky." Zuckerman, his
daughter and Eric were all given rabies shots at a local hospital. Town
officials dispatched a trapper to hunt the coyote down. When they cornered the
creature, it viciously snapped off the head of one of its own puppies. It then
lunged at an officer prompting him to shoot it dead. The animal will be tested
to see if it had rabies. The area has become plagued by ugly coyote encounters
this summer. "We've had at least 150 sightings all over the village," said Rye
Brook police Sgt. Rich Carroll. "They are just following the food supply, which
are turkeys." There have been several high-profile attacks on young children in
neighboring Rye in recent months, prompting officials to launch an aggressive
trapping campaign. "We've had some success, but evidently not enough," Carroll
said. "In the last five years or so they have really picked up." Wayward coyotes
have even appeared in New York City this year, leading cops on numerous wild
chases. Zuckerman's father, Gary, said he understood that man shares the land
with wildlife, but something had clearly changed. "It's disconcerting that the
coyotes have become so aggressive," he said. "Not only do they try attacking
little animals, they are attacking little children."Neighbor Lillian Sands, 65, said it was horrible that kids now couldn't
play freely. "This is a terrible thing to live in this nice neighborhood and not
being able to bring your kids outside," she said. "It is a terrible, terrible
situation." video
of trapper hired to catch coyotes
NORTHAMPTON - Police are urging pet owners to keep cats and small dogs indoors
after a suspected coyote attack Monday. Detective Lt. Kenneth Watson said police
took a report about 1:04 p.m. that two large dogs were attacking a cat in a
backyard on South Park Terrace off Route 10. Police believe the attacking
animals were coyotes based on their description, Watson said.The cat was taken to the Cat Hospital on Damon Road, where it was
euthanized due to its injuries, Watson said. Three cats were killed around
Florence center July 23 in a string of suspected coyote attacks.
NORTHAMPTON, MA Police believe coyotes killed at least three cats Thursday
night in a thickly settled residential area of Florence. At least three cats
were attacked, Capt. Scott A. Savino said, adding that witnesses in all three
instances first believed that they were seeing a pack of dogs running amok. The
first was reported about 8:25 p.m. when a woman reported seeing three black
dogs, one with a cat in its mouth, near 45 Pine St. Pine Street runs almost
parallel to Route 9 near Florence center. When she yelled they ran away and
dropped the cat, Savino said, adding that the cat was fatally injured. About 15
minutes later, a caller reported seeing three dogs attack a cat near 119 Pine
St., Savino said. That cat was also fatally injured. The third attack was
reported just before 9 p.m. when a woman, eating at the Side Street Cafe on
Maple Street, saw three dark-colored canines attacking a cat across the street.
She ran over and threw water on them and they ran away, Savino said. The
injured cat was taken to a veterinarian who had to euthanize it due to the
severity of its injuries, he said. The woman described the canine attackers as
having pointy ears. Environmental Police officers who came to investigate said
they believe the animals were coyotes based on witness descriptions and the
nature of the attacks, Savino said. Although its common for coyotes to attack
cats and small dogs, Savino said he was not aware of such attacks happening so
close to the downtown area of Florence. Its densely populated area and there
are not a lot of woods, Savino said.
Selectmen and wildlife experts are hoping to educate residents about coyotes
after a local dog was attacked and killed in front of its family on South
Street.AnnMarie Trebendis addressed the board
Tuesday on behalf of her niece, who has lost four pets in the last six months to
coyotes.Trebendis, a resident of Cross Street,
told selectmen that her niece had lost three cats recently. However, an incident
on Monday, June 14, drove Trebendis to make her concerns public.On that afternoon, Trebendis' niece and her family were on the deck of
their home on South Street. As Trebendis' 11-year-old grand-nephew watched, a
coyote suddenly appeared out of the woods and attacked the family's 7-pound
Maltese, which was playing in the yard. The coyote killed and carried off the
Maltese before anyone could react. "It happened like lightning," explained
Trebendis.Concerned over her family's safety,
Trebendis brought the issue before selectmen. "I truly feel that the coyotes are
a public safety issue," she told board members. "Residents of our neighborhood
are concerned about going into our own yards." Westborough Animal Control
Officer John Keefe and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
biologist Laura Hajduk talked about possible options for controlling the local
coyote population. Keefe said he was shocked at the attack, saying he had never
heard of a coyote attacking a dog. However, he said that attacks on cats are
common in Westborough, and Hajduk agreed.Keefe
also said the time of the attack isnt cause for concern. "Just because an
animal is nocturnal, doesn't mean it exclusively comes out at night," said
Keefe. "If the hunger is there, the animal will find food." Hajduk outlined the
nature of coyotes, including why it is typically a very difficult animal to
remove from urban and suburban settings.Hajduk
presented various options for removing the animals, including trapping,
relocating and euthanasia. But she cautioned that any solution might not
permanently remove the threat. "If you remove the coyotes, it simply opens up
the territory for other coyotes," said Hajduk. "They will always be there."
According to Hajduk, attacks on pets are common. However, she stressed that
there have only been three cases of coyotes attacking a human in Massachusetts.Hajduk said that the best defenses against coyotes are education and
harassment. She encouraged residents who see coyotes to throw things at them or
bang pots and pans together.
The animals are not confrontational and do not like to work for food, said
Hajduk. "Harassment teaches the coyote that a backyard is not a safe place to
get food," she explained. "The fact is that coyotes are extremely opportunistic
animals and they will take the food that's available to them." In terms of
education, Selectmen Chairman Rod Jan encouraged publicity on the recent attack
on South Street. Selectmen agreed to post information regarding coyotes on the
town web site, including a link to MassWildlife. Hadjuk agreed, saying she would
be open to public speaking opportunities in town, including meeting with
residents and educating children on how to stay safe around wild animals.The board also agreed to set up a meeting between Hadjuk, Keefe,
Trebendis and her family and Police Chief Gordon."This will give us steps to deal with the animals in the future," said
Jan.
NORTON, Mass. -- A family witnessed their dog being
attacked by a wild animal outside their Norton home on Sunday.
On Fathers Day, 11-year-old Kaleala Kadish-Ferriter and her 9-year-old sister
Alaisha saw the wild animal attack their dog Elena.We saw the fox grabbing onto Elena. I was really
worried cause I was afraid of if the fox was just gonna bite off the whole
nose, said Kaleala.Alaisha originally saw the animal by the shed and grabbed
her camera. I saw the fox again attacking my dog Elena, and so I decided,
cause I had my camera in my hand with it on, so I decided to take a videoof it, said Alaisha. The girls mom said the dog
wouldn't go in the house until everyone was in. On Monday, the girls were still
shaken up by the incident.I was afraid Elena was gonna die and I really
loved her very much, said Kaleala. After a visit to the vet, the dog, a
Mountain View Cur, is fine.Good. She's OK. We can hug her and love her now,
said Alaisha. Environmental officials have advised residents to proceed with
caution if they spot a wild animal, and to be cautious with pets, as they may be
seen as the animals prey.
BELCHERTOWN, MA. (WWLP) - A
toddler and two adults are undergoing a series of shots after being attacked by
a fox at their Belchertown homes. Now there's a concern the wild animal was
rabid and potentially spread the disease to other animals. The fearless fox is
now dead, only after terrorizing a rural Belchertown neighborhood. Elizabeth
Elyer-Pelletier was attacked by the wild animal Friday morning in her Aldrich
Street yard, a short time after one of her Guinea Hens fatally fell victim to
the fox. "I saw it sneaking up behind her so I yelled at her, 'get in the house
he's behind you!'" exclaimed neighbor, Pam Albertson.
"It started to come toward me so I walked quickly and it got a hold of my foot,"
explained Elyer-Pelletier. The mother was able to briefly paralyze the predator,
by striking it with her cordless telephone until police arrived and shot it
dead. "The poor kids were pretty traumatized," said Albertson whose other
neighbors had to fend off the fox minutes earlier. An ambulance was called after
it got a hold of a 3 year old and her mother, Julia Ross. In the wooded
neighborhood full of children and pets, there's still a sense of caution. Many
like Elizabeth Elyer-Pelletier are left wondering if the potentially rabid
animal had gotten a hold of anything else. "There is the question if it was
rabid and infecting any animals. Schools are out this week, so children will be
everywhere." Anyone who sees animals acting strange during daylight hours should
contact their local health department. The animal has been brought to Boston to
be tested.
A predator, possibly a coyote, was responsible for killing
a cat in West Roxbury over the weekend, a local animal rescue organization said.
This is a clear case of predation; a human didn't do this to the cat, Alan
Borgal, director of the Center for Animal Protection at the Animal Rescue League
of Boston, said yesterday. Veterinary pathologists determined that two puncture
wounds around the animals throat could have been caused by a larger animal.
Though the type of predator has not been confirmed, the location in the city, in
the vicinity of Garnet Road in West Roxbury, should not rule out the possibility
of a coyote attack, officials said.
Montague, MA Northeast Utilities is hoping a series of
community meetings will help it decide how to deal with a 63-acre beaver pond
that's surrounding high tension utility poles in Leverett and Montague.Northeast Utilities is assembling a group of
neighbors and town officials it hopes will help come up with a way to replace
the poles and deal with the beavers that created the pond, said spokesman Frank
Poirot.The plan is to have the group hold a series of
meetings as part of a process called "facilitated community-based problem
solving" later this month and early July, he said. The exact dates and locations
have not been finalized. The plan is to have two meetings in Leverett and two in
Montague. The meetings will be open to the public and those in attendance will
be given a chance to comment. The group will include two representatives from
each town, people with properties that abut the pond and residents of Richardson
Road in Leverett, who are right below the dam and would see major flooding if
the dam broke, he said. The group will evaluate several different proposals how
the poles should be built and how to deal with the beavers, said Poirot, adding
that he didn't want to detail those plans. "It will be a broad range of
solutions that participants will be looking at. They will arrive at the
preferred solution that hopefully meets all of their needs as well as the needs
of Northeast Utilities," he said.
The hope is that a decision is made this summer so that Northeast can do the
work next construction season, in 2011. Until that plan is reached, Northeast
won't know exactly what regulatory hurdles it will need to clear, Poirot said.
But, it will likely require review and possibly approval from federal and state
environmental agencies and it may also need a permit from the Army Corps of
Engineers, he said. "It's a complex environment with a flowing stream and
wetlands. And there may be more. We have to do more studies," he said.
Conservation Commissions in Montague and Leverett will, at the very least, be
consulted about the project, he said. Catherine Skiba, spokeswoman for the
Department of Environmental Protection's regional office, also said that permits
Northeast needs to apply for won't be known until the company submits a plan.
"It's difficult to speculate what (those permits) would be," she said. The pond
has been created over the years by beavers that dammed up a stream running along
Richardson Road, part of which is now also under water. Nestled in the middle of
this pond are five H-shaped high-tension utility poles that carry power for
Northeast Utilities. Woodpeckers have damaged several of the poles and the
utility company wants to replace them. "These structures are not designed to
stand in water," said Poirot. "The need for a solution just becomes a little
more urgent as time goes by. (The poles) support a circuit that supplies
electricity to a large area that includes western Massachusetts as well as
Connecticut." Although Northeast Utilities hasn't filed any official plans, last
summer it filed a report proposing draining the pond and aggressively trapping
beavers to keep them from coming back. This idea drew the ire of some neighbors
who enjoy the rich variety of wildlife the pond has brought to the area. Other
neighbors, however, say the pond is a menace that is eating away land, bringing
mosquitoes and threatening to flood homes below in Leverett. The community
meetings scheduled for later this month will be run by Ron Deford of Northeast
Utilities, who has experience in community-based problem-solving and serves on
an elected board in his home town in Connecticut.
DEDHAM, MA - An effort to trap beavers in the Wigwam
Pond area has been discontinued after five casualties in an apparently fruitful
two-plus-year effort to lower pond water levels that had repeatedly flooded area
homes and businesses. "Yes, the water is going down and they are seeing
relief,'' selectmen chairwoman Sarah MacDonald said earlier this week. Town
officials had turned to trapping in recent months after attempts at a more
humane route failed at the same time the area was further deluged by pounding
rains. As a result, four beavers were caught and a fifth was hit by a car,
MacDonald said."We can't claim victory, though,
because that area is very attractive to beavers,'' she said. "Another group
could move in." Originally, Dedham engaged a company called Beaver Solutions to
manage water levels at the pond, environmental coordinator Virginia LeClair
said. After receiving a $2,000 grant from the Massachusetts Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the United States for
nonlethal solutions, Dedham installed low-flow devices, known as Beaver
Deceivers, through two of the dams, LeClair said. The contraptions allowed water
to pass through the dams by inserting large flexible pipes that are faceted at
each end with green cages, she said. The cages prevented the beavers from
getting to the openings of the pipes and blocking them up, stopping the water
flow. "These devices had worked for the past 2 1/2 years until the beavers built
a third dam in front of the other two," LeClair said. "At that time our
consultant did not recommend that we install a third, low-flow device.'' LeClair
said the town consulted with the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and
Wildlife, which agreed with the company's findings: "Since relocating wildlife
is illegal in Massachusetts, trapping was our only remaining option." "None of
us wanted to go in that direction,'' Town Administrator Bill Keegan said
recently, when the effort was in full swing. "Our preference would have been to
co-exist. But when it impacts residents in the area, you have to take
appropriate steps." Dedham worked with a problem-animal control agent to obtain
the proper permits from the Board of Health and the town's Conservation
Commission, officials said. Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at
mmbolton1@verizon.net.
By Edward B. Colby/Dedham Transcript
Dedham Transcript
May 21, 2010 @ 07:00 AM
Dedham MA - In a wild patch of Dedham, not far behind
Legacy Place, is where the journey for the objects of Craig Armstrongs desire
begins. As we paddle the canoe, he points out some willow trees that beavers
have girdled chewing away the bark to eat the layer of green underneath. We
travel the length of Wigwam Pond and up into Wigwam Brook, where Armstrong
checks his first Conibear trap. When the animal goes through, the Conibear trap
usually snaps them around the head, he explains: They drown. If they don't die
instantly, they drown. Its empty. Armstrong walks through some thickly covered
terrain, warning about poison ivy, and leads the way to a beaver dam he breached
the day before. Overnight, the aquatic mammals built a high pile of sticks and
debris to fill the gap. I had this flowing nice yesterday, Armstrong says,
clearing away the beavers work with a rake. They had a big 4-by-4 in here
yesterday. Thing weighed a ton. Its just another morning out on the water for
Dedham's beaver trapper. The town called him in March, when record rain falls
flooded nearby streets and basements, and exacerbated the problem of the high
water levels that residents east of Wigwam Pond have seen since the family of
beavers moved in two years ago. Town Administrator William
Keegan somberly said in late March that installing low-flow devices called
beaver deceivers and breaching dams helped manage the situation, but that
trapping was the only option left to consider. Armstrong, who is a
licensed problem animal control agent, does his trapping for free. He mostly
bow-hunts deer are his favorite targets and recently shot two turkeys each
in Vermont and Massachusetts. Ill hunt anything, anywhere. As long as it gets
me outside and in the woods, says the Riverdale resident, who was a plant
manager until a few years ago, and now does carpentry and other handyman jobs.
Armstrong says the main goal is to lower the water level for nearby residents
homes. Two dams, including one off Eastern Avenue, have beaver deceivers in
them. Its the deceiver dam that's really backing up the water behind the
Legion and back up on Jersey Street. For a while, there was nowhere to trap
because the brook and connected channels were so flooded, so Armstrong waited
for the water to go down. It has receded somewhat by the Friday morning when
Armstrong takes the Transcripts reporter on an excursion. Even so, he gestures
to a new swampy area, saying, All this back here used to be dry. These trees,
look at 'em, they're all dead. Its not so easy to catch the beavers, beginning
with the dangerous traps. He hurt himself twice before getting safeties, he
says. Yeah, these beavers were beating me up at first. First trap went across
my thumb and my fingers. Geez, that hurt, he says. The second time, it sprung
over his whole hand. I couldn't grab anything for awhile. He also tells about
going through mud when all of a sudden his foot sunk, and the heavy trap basket
he was wearing pulled him down backwards into the water, spilling his soda
bottles and cigars. He lightened his basket after that. He sports thigh-high
waders. Wearing just boots it is tricky to get around without slipping into the
muck, but Armstrong sensibly advises walking on branches and using a paddle to
probe for relatively solid ground, which seems to work. The beavers seem to have
good survivors instincts, he says. They were using this one pretty
frequently, Armstrong says of a channel where he caught two on the previous
Sunday, April 25. But on this day, the three traps he has placed there come up
empty. Armstrong was so excited when he finally found their lodge a massive
mound of sticks on a canal that connects to a holding pond by T.G.I. Fridays.
Armstrong drags the canoe over land so we can paddle up close to the lodge,
before proceeding to another trap, which has snapped but has nothing in it. He
checks six traps in all. That's unfortunate. I was hoping Id be able to show
you a beaver. He says town officials estimated there were 15 to 30 beavers in
the area, but he thinks many neighbors who have had close encounters actually
saw another water-faring furbearer muskrats. Armstrong told the health
director he'd be lucky if he caught six beavers. Last Wednesday he found his
fourth, at the dam on Wigwam Brook. The trap went off the day before without
catching anything, so Armstrong put in two near the dam. Went over this
morning, and sure enough I nabbed this guy on one of them. He was a pretty big
guy probably 40 pounds or so. Armstrong gives the carcasses to his buddies
for bear bait. That includes a fifth beaver who perished on the Needham Street
Bridge. After his wife called and told him about it, he ran over and grabbed it,
he said. Armstrong gave a perhaps-overlooked explanation for American
expansionism, saying that people kept moving west to hunt beavers. The last time
the creatures were around Wigwam Pond was probably 1700, he says. Now, within a
few years of their return, they're being hunted again. Armstrong's efforts seem
to be having the desired effect. He says the water level has dropped quite a
bit, and the Jersey Street dam and the lower deceiver dam have both been flowing
well. He's not sure where the beavers are living, but says, I couldn't find any
evidence that they're still in that lodge. With no activity at the dams since
he made his last catch, he's pulled up all his traps. I don't know how many
beavers are left, Armstrong says. There cant be many, because there just
isn't much sign. Back on that shiny Friday morning, his enthusiasm is more
palpable during the return ride across the pond. I really enjoy doing this,
Armstrong says. I got lots of other stuff I should be doing. But I find myself
saying, lets go find some beavers. Dedham Transcript staff writer Edward B.
Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.
SALEM, MA - Tests on a raccoon that bit a woman sleeping
at her summer home on Baker's Island on Sunday showed the animal had rabies,
police said.Islanders found and killed the
raccoon in the woman's shed following the attack of Susan Linder-Bean, 55, of
Salem, who was asleep in her bed when the raccoon bit her foot. The animal was
later tested by the state Department of Public Health. Baker's Island is home to
more than 65 summer cottages, and residents told police they'd never seen a
raccoon there before."We're not sure how it got there. There are theories,"
Salem Animal Control Officer Donald Famico said. The theory that seems most
plausible to Famico is that the animal may have been thrown from a boat and it
swam to shore. During the winter, raccoons will typically find their way inside
stored boats. Come warmer weather, boaters will find the animals, sometimes when
the boat is in the water, and Famico suspects the masked stowaway was thrown
overboard. Regardless of how the raccoon made it to Baker's Island, police are
checking if the domesticated cats and dogs that call the island home during the
summer are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. "We're taking the necessary
steps to make sure everybody's healthy," Famico said.Two of the three cats belonging to Linder-Bean,
Mary Alice and Felix, were not up-to-date, and now they will have to be
quarantined, according to the police report. Her cat Lucky was vaccinated.The cats were on the island in proximity to the
rabid raccoon, Famico said. Linder-Bean declined to comment on the incident.
Rabies, a viral disease of the central nervous system, has been circulating
throughout the North Shore for almost 20 years. While all mammals can be
infected with rabies, the virus affects mostly wild animals, including raccoons,
skunks, foxes and bats, according to a public fact sheet put out by the state
Department of Public Health. In 1993, several cities and towns reported their
first confirmed cases of rabies. That same year, the state came out with
stricter guidelines for vaccinating cats and dogs, according to news reports.
Famico said there haven't been too many cases of rabid raccoons, but of another
nocturnal animal. "There are a lot of sick-looking skunks in the past couple
months. We don't necessarily test every animal even though it shows the
symptoms," Famico said. The signs of a rabid animal include unexplained
aggression, impaired locomotion, varying paralysis and extreme viciousness,
Famico said. Famico said the incident is a reminder to get cats and dogs
vaccinated for rabies.
AMHERST, MA - A coyote, like this one seen in
Williamsburg in 2008, attacked two dogs in Amherst along the Ken Cuddeback
Trail. The attacks spurred the town to temporarily close the trail. AMHERST -
The Ken Cuddeback Trail in South Amherst has been closed temporarily after a
coyote twice attacked dogs being walked in the area over the last week. Animal
Welfare officer Carol Hepburn said Monday she requested the conservation trail
be temporarily closed out of concern for the safety of smaller dogs. The first
report came April 26 at 12:52 p.m. after the coyote bit a dog, which was later
brought to a veterinarian for evaluation and treatment. A Labrador retriever was
attacked two days later. Hepburn said both dogs are expected to recover. After
the second attack, Hepburn said, she and a state wildlife official attempted to
locate the coyote. "I'm trying to remove the coyote from the area," Hepburn
said. She has also gone to the area twice with police officers. Though the
coyote has been seen, it has fled into the woods when spotted. Hepburn said
there is no evidence that the coyote is aggressive toward humans, but she still
would like to deal with the coyote before reopening the trail. The KC Trail, as
it is often called, runs through the Hop Brook and Wentworth Farm conservation
areas and passes between Shays Street, South East Street, Potwine Lane and
Middle Street. According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife's website, the eastern coyote moved into the central and western part
of the state in the 1950s and now exists in every town except for those on
Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. They pose little threat to humans but have been
known to attack household pets. The majority of coyotes found locally are the
size of a medium-sized dog, but with longer, thicker fur. They have a long,
bushy, black-tipped tail that is usually carried pointing down and are typically
between 4 and 5 feet in length and weigh between 33 and 40 pounds, according to
the website. Although they are known to feed on whatever is available, including
fruit, berries and small rodents, they are also known to prey on unprotected
pets, unsecured garbage and pet food left outdoors. According to the website,
coyotes are territorial but habitually shy and elusive. They occupy territories
ranging from 2 to 30 miles and typically breed in February and March, yielding
litters of up to eight pups in April or May. In Massachusetts, the coyote
hunting season opens on the first Saturday after Columbus Day and closes on the
following March 8. In 2007 and 2008, however, the DFW extended coyote season by
five weeks and both years resulted in state records for total number killed. To
prevent conflicts with coyotes, the DFW urges state residents to secure their
garbage, never try to feed or pet a coyote, keep household pets restrained and
pet food indoors if possible, fence in livestock and produce, and alert
neighbors if one is seen in or around the neighborhood. If an area resident is
ever threatened by a coyote, public safety officials including local police
departments and the state Environmental Police have the authority to respond and
put down the animal. However, according to regulations pertaining to the
handling of problem animals, coyotes taking pets are not considered an immediate
threat to human safety and therefore safety officials are not authorized to
remove them.
By Alice C. Elwell - Enterprise correspondent
PatriotLedger.com [STORY]
Posted Apr 30, 2010 @ 11:42 PM
MIDDLEBORO, MA - For the first time in his 34 years of
practice, local veterinarian Bruce Chase has diagnosed a case of rabies in a
horse.The viral disease is common in dogs, cats
and other predators but is rare in non-predatory animals such as horses. In
Massachusetts, Chase said only three cases have been confirmed in the past 10
years.Chase said he has notified his clients in the area that
the risk of rabies may be higher this year. We still consider rabies a big part
of public health concern, Chase said.The horse in question lived on a property in
Freetown and had not been vaccinated. Chase tested it after seeing that it was
actinguncharacteristically. The horse has been
euthanized.Freetown interim Town Administrator John F. Healey said
the towns new animal inspector will work to improve barn inspections and ensure
that horses have up-to-date inoculations.The state Department of Public Health investigated
the case,diagnosed April 3. Officials concluded that it does not
suggest any elevated risk in the area, DPH spokeswoman Jennifer Manley said in
an e-mail to The Enterprise. Rabies remains a low level but constant threat to
all pets, livestock and people in Massachusetts, she said.The horse, she said, had been exposed to a rabid
skunk. Rabies is most often transmitted through the bite or scratch of a rabid
animal. The disease infects the central nervous system, causing encephalitis and
ultimately death. Vaccination has drastically decreased the number of rabies
cases in domestic animals since an outbreak in 1992. It is still prevalent in
wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, bats and woodchucks.
By Amy Saltzman/Stoneham@cnc.com
Stoneham Sun (see
fox video HERE)
Posted Mar 16, 2010 @ 01:26 PM
STONEHAM, MA - A rabid fox was euthanized on March 4 on Hanford Road after
scratching a young girl and later attacking an adult male, according to the
Stoneham Police and Board of Health. Police Chief Richard Bongiorno said
there were three sightings of the fox one the night before and two the morning
of March 4. However, the police log said that a Forest Street resident reported
that he was bitten by an aggressive fox around noon on March 3. A limping grey
fox was then spotted by a different caller later that day on Hanford Road.
Police were unable to locate the animal at the time. But the
following day, a fox reportedly scratched a young girl, whose mother called the
police to say it had broken through the skin. The mother was told to bring her
daughter to the doctor to receive the appropriate shots in case the fox was
rabid. Soon after hanging up the phone, the mother called back again,
hysterical, according to Bongiorno, saying that the fox had attacked another
adult in the neighborhood. The fox had gone after his ankles. The only way to
discover whether a fox is rabid or not is to cut off its head and submit it to
the states Department of Public Health, according to Board of Health agent,
John Scullin, who handled the gruesome job with a very sharp knife. Scullin
had to drive the head into the city in his own vehicle, where the brain was then
tested. The fox turned out to be rabid, but police were not aware of this when
it was killed. To determine if the fox is rabid you have to kill the fox. And
it was clearly ill, said Bongiorno. I wasnt there, but I heard it was
cowering in the corner, and wasnt moving. Generally they will scatter if they
see an adult. So it was clearly sick, and we were able to contain it. Police
brought in an officer with a specialized gun for euthanization. Had we tried to
use the regular shotgun for that type of animal, the rounds would have just gone
right through it, said Bongiorno. If it did not strike something that would
immediately deter the animal, it would just scamper off. Board of Health
Chairman Dan Doherty said that a letter was sent out last week to all of
Precinct 1, approximately 1,500 households, warning residents of the rabid fox.
At this time, the department as well as the police believe it was the same fox
that made all the attacks. And there have not been any sightings of other foxes
as of Friday, March 12. The letter offered several precautions if a wild
animal is spotted in the neighborhood (see box). The normal protocol with
anyone in contact with a wild animal is that you have to assume it has
something, said Doherty. [If attacked] the advice is to go to a physicians.
LEICESTER, MA -
State
Rep. John J. Binienda, D-Worcester, and state Sen. Michael O. Moore, D-Millbury,
both of whom include Leicester in the districts they represent, spent an hour
discussing local and state budget woes with Leicester selectmen here earlier
this month. And while much of the discussion
centered, as one might expect, on where to find the money to keep the community
afloat during fiscal 2011, there were also some heated comments on a subject
that might seem to be a bit farther afield beavers. Selectman Richard Antanavica brought up the beavers when questioning
whether governmental mandates are doing what they are supposed to do.
Take beaver control, he said. People are
losing their property and they cant go out and take care of the problem because
of a law. Beaver protection, making it
illegal to trap beavers, was voted by the people of Massachusetts years ago,
said Mr. Binienda. It was pushed not by
the people of Leicester or Spencer but by the people of Cambridge and Revere,
where they don't have the problem. You were bad guys who put the beavers leg in
a trap they had never seen the washed-out roads in Rochdale because of what
the beavers do. Mr. Antanavica said beavers
build a dam that floods an area, suddenly turning somebody's backyard that had
always been dry into a wetland. Selectman
Dianna Provencher wanted to know if there isn't a way to rescind the beaver law,
but Mr. Binienda said there had been attempts and he had voted for them, but
they were unsuccessful. That raised the ire of
Chairman Thomas V. Brennan Jr., who pointed out he had personal knowledge of the
impact of what he called the stupid beaver bill. The people in Suffolk County don't have a clue about the damage beavers
can cause, he said. I've lived on Greenville
Pond for more than 20 years. I can hear them chewing the trees. I can see them swimming in the pond and see the trees falling all
around the pond and that's only my pond. There are 26 surface bodies of water
in the town of Leicester. Mr. Brennan used the
example to focus on judging the impact of governmental mandates and finding a
way of reversing or easing the mandate if it turns out to be harmful to a
community. We have a major
problem, he said.When anybody passes a bill
and its passed, they seem to think its set in stone until their dying day.
They think its been blessed by the Almighty and its tinker-proof.
Well,legislation
can't be tinker-proof. He urged the two
legislators to find a way of revisiting a bill perhaps five years down the line,
gauging its impact and reversing it if that impact is harmful.
ORLEANS, MA - Like many others, Elizabeth Skayne thought that coyotes shy away
from humans. She has since changed her mind. Skayne said she took her dog for a
walk late last month. It was 5:30 p.m. and the sun hadnt quite set, but she had
the garage lights on and a flashlight in her hand as she started out with her
Wheaten terrier, Cookie. They were just steps from the house, Cookie just 5 feet
from her on his leash when a coyote chose to charge the 40-pound dog. A coyote
came from behind and grabbed onto Cookie, Skayne said. She said the animals
could have made a sound as they scrabbled, but she didnt hear it. I was just
screaming so loud, she said. The coyote, about the same size as Cookie although
a little thinner, backed away and Skayne and her dog ran back inside. The
garage door was open so we darted in, said Skayne, adding that the coyote hung
around outside for a while afterward. Cookie is OK. They took him to the vet to
treat the bite in his leg, but Skayne was worried about others in the Mill Pond
area so she sent a letter to all her neighbors. And it turns out that Skayne
isnt the only one having frightening run-ins with coyotes. Her neighbor, Pat
Foot, said two coyotes attacked her two dogs. Most times when coyotes go after
pets its for a meal so they usually choose small prey, small dogs or cats.
Experts have said they wont go after large dogs because the chance of injury is
so large they dont want to take a risk. But Foots dogs, like Skaynes, arent
small. They are two 50-pound Labrador retrievers, one black, one yellow. The two
tangled with the coyotes in her back yard while Foot, on crutches, yelled and
blew a whistle less than 10 feet away to no avail. I thought my dogs were being
killed and I couldnt do anything about it, Foot said. Her dogs survived,
although the yellow Lab, Cadie, was bitten on the tail and hip. A few weeks
later a coyote came around again and Foots husband had to yell and throw sticks
at it before it finally left. They are very bold, she said. I dont know what
to do. Skayne isnt proposing that coyotes be eliminated; she just wants people
to be more aware. And she wants the town to step up and take action.
Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to the coyote problem; we simply
must be aware of our surroundings. When outside be alert and on guard; pets
should not be unleashed outside between early dusk and dawn, she wrote in her
letter. Please be safe. Naturalist Peter Trull, who wrote Coyotes in the
Neighborhood, agrees that people should be on the lookout when they walk their
dogs. He has two beloved pooches so understands that owners want to protect
their pets. Trull, a Brewster resident and a science teacher at Cape Cod
Lighthouse Charter School, was surprised a coyote had an interaction with a
dog that was on a leash. He hasnt heard of a similar incident in the more than
20 years he has been studying coyotes on the Cape. It is shocking, he said.
Ive never even heard of it. Nature is unpredictable. Trull said the coyote
may have had distemper, may have been defending a den site, could be carrying
puppies, or could have played with the dog before. He said the situation could
be compared to an unleashed German shepherd biting a dog on a leash, except
there is no owner to hold responsible. Skayne said that a few years ago coyotes
killed two dogs in town and it was on peoples minds, but lately those memories
have faded. People were much more on guard, Skayne said. Since the incident,
Skayne and Cookie are much more cautious. Skayne blows an air horn whenever she
takes Cookie out at night.Her neighbors have
been understanding. They say its OK, Skayne said with a good-natured laugh.
HOLYOKE, MA- A person, scratched by a rabid raccoon
in the area of Heritage State Park and the Holyoke Children's Museum on Monday,
is now undergoing treatment for the disease. Animal Control Officer Donald W.
Tryon said the raccoon was aggressive and went after the victim. Tryon said it
also pursued him when he arrived on the scene. I knew there was something
wrong, Tryon said. It had ample opportunity to retreat. The park is on
Appleton Street and the museum is on the corner of Dwight and Front streets.Anyone who has recently been scratched, bitten or had contact with saliva
from a raccoon in this area should call their health care provider, the Holyoke
Board of Health at (413) 322-5595, or the state Division of Epidemiology at
(617) 983-6800. Those with pets who may have
recent contact with a raccoon in the area should call their veterinarian or the
Division of Animal Health at (617) 626-1786.
Treatment for those exposed should begin as soon as possible.
A miniature Schnauzer named Stella is lucky to be alive after a pack of hungry
coyotes attacked her on January 4, 2010, near Knollwood Drive in Mattapoisett.
Stella's owners, Kristen and Christopher Querim,
described the scene that nearly resulted in their family pets death as
absolutely horrific. After letting Stella out
to go to the bathroom at 8:00 pm, Ms. Querim said that they faintly heard crying
coming from the yard. That's when they realized
that Stella was in trouble. The family, including 11-year-old Matthew Querim,
went outside saw that their dog was fighting with at least two coyotes at the
edge of the woods. The Querim family stood in the cold dark and made a commotion
in an attempt to intimidate the coyotes and get them to release Stella. The
screaming and yelling worked, and Stella came out of the woods, but she was
badly injured. Lacerations on her hindquarters and injuries to her legs
indicated that one coyote attempted to incapacitate her while the other coyote
viciously attacked her, piercing her throat. Several puncture wounds on Stella's
neck just narrowly avoided her jugular vein, which spared the dogs life. While
Ms. Querim stayed behind with her younger son, Matthew and his father took
Stella to an emergency vet trip, where she was treated with sutures and a
drainage tube. The veterinarians office confirmed that the dog was lucky to be
alive. Unfortunately, the chaotic scene left young Matthew covered in Stella's
blood and saliva, which means that he will have to undergo a months worth of
painful rabies injections, just in case the animals were rabid. According to Ms.
Querim, this is a preventative measure and the coyotes were likely not rabid,
since they were acting exactly like hungry coyotes would. Typically, a coyote
will stay away from places where humans dwell, and they can be easily scared by
loud noises. According to the Massachusetts Department of Wildlife website,
coyotes are scavengers that will occasionally attack family pets. This is more
likely to happen in winter when food is scarce. Coyotes are a protected species,
and can only be removed when it can be proven that they are habituated, which
means that they are more aggressive and no longer afraid of people. Even then,
residents have to call the Animal Control Officer (ACO) to have threatening
coyotes removed. Mattapoisett ACO Kathy Massey
was unaware of the attack until a week later. She was appalled that the vets
office didn't contact her in regards to the attack, since by law Stella was
supposed to undergo quarantine and observation for a minimum of 45 days, even if
she was up-to-date with her rabies shots. The only way a pet can legally return
to their home after an attack is if the wild animal is caught and tests negative
for rabies. Officer Massey said that coyotes will always be present and
residents have to learn to live with them. Marion ACO Susan Connor agreed with
Officer Massey, and said that coyotes are a permanent threat to family pets,
especially since leg-trapping has been banned. For the Querims, they just want
their ordeal to be a cautionary tale to Tri-Town residents. They encourage
others to keep an eye out for coyotes and to never let pets or children out of
sight, especially after sunset. They also warn
residents to not leave dogs on leads out in the yard, because that makes the
dog defenseless.
The Massachusetts Department of Wildlife also encourages residents to make their
garbage inaccessible, and to seal off crawl spaces around the yard where coyotes
can roost.Residents who do experience problems
with coyotes should contact their ACO. In Mattapoisett: ACO Kathy Massey at
508-758-4100 ext. 202; in Marion, ACO Susan Connor at 508-748-1212; and in
Rochester, ACO Anne Estabrook at 508-763-5112.
By Anne OBrien-Kakley
HAMPDEN, Mass. (WGGB) -- A Hampden resident has reported to police that a coyote
severely attacked her dog Tuesday afternoon, according to Chief Jeff W.
Farnsworth. [SEE
VIDEO HERE]. The resident, who lives on Oak Knoll Drive, reported she heard her
four-month-old Bassett Hound yelping in her yard. Upon further inspection, she
found her dog was pinned underneath a full grown coyote, according to officials.A guest at the home kicked the coyote, leading it to flee into the woods,
according to reports. The Bassett Hound was taken to the Boston Road Animal
Hospital where it died of injuries from the attack, according to Farnsworth.Hampden police and the Environmental police investigated the area but
were unable to find the coyote. Police warn residents to be alert when out
walking their animals and to not leave small pets unattended in the yard.
Nova Scotia, Canada - Two coyotes attacked a promising young musician as she was
hiking alone in a national park in eastern Canada, and authorities said she died
Wednesday of her injuries. The victim was identified as Taylor Mitchell, 19, a
singer-songwriter from Toronto who was touring her new album on the East Coast.She was hiking solo on a trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in
Nova Scotia on Tuesday when the attack occurred. She was airlifted to a Halifax
hospital in critical condition and died Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Coyotes, which also are known as prairie wolves, are found from Central America
to the United States and Canada.Wildlife
biologist Bob Bancroft said coyote attacks are extremely rare because the
animals are usually shy. Bancroft, a retired biologist with Nova Scotia's
Department of Natural Resources, said it's possible the coyotes thought Mitchell
was a deer or other prey.''It's very unusual
and is not likely to be repeated,'' Bancroft said. ''We shouldn't assume that
coyotes are suddenly going to become the big bad wolf.''Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Brigdit Leger said other hikers
heard Mitchell's screams for help on Tuesday and called emergency police
dispatchers.Police who were in the area reached
the scene quickly and shot one of the animals, apparently wounding it. But the
wounded animal and a companion coyote managed to get away.Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services said Mitchell already was in
critical condition when paramedics arrived on the scene and had multiple bite
wounds over her entire body.''She was losing a
considerable amount of blood from the wounds,'' he said. An official with Parks
Canada said they blocked the entrance to the trail where Mitchell was attacked
and were trying to find the animals to determine what prompted such an unusual
attack.''There's been some reports of
aggressive animals, so it's not unknown,'' said Helene Robichaud, the park's
superintendent. ''But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and
tragic.''
Mitchell was an up-and-coming folk and country musician who was nominated for a
2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category.''Words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a
sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman,'' Lisa
Weitz, Mitchell's manager, said in an e-mail. ''She just turned 19 two months
ago, and was so excited about the future.''
DERRY MA Police are warning residents to keep an eye on
family pets and young children after a dog was bitten by a rabid skunk earlier
this week.The skunk was killed by the dog's
owner as he tried to stop the rabid animal from biting his dog, according to
police. The dog only received minor injuries from the bite outside a Collette's
Grove home Monday. The skunk is the only recent confirmed rabid animal in the
area, according to the Derry Animal Control Department. Animal owners should
supervise their pets while outside and keep their pets' rabies vaccinations up
to date. Young children should be supervised while outdoors. Parents should
remind their children that wild animals should not be approached. The most
common animals infected with rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes and
coyotes.SClBChasing
pets and people and other symptoms typical of illness are indicators an animal
could be infected with rabies. Time of day is not an accurate indicator of an
animal infected with rabies, according to police.
Pittsfield, MA - A Pittsfield
woman is among those who unwittingly drank tainted water from a Stephentown,
N.Y., spring along Route 22 near the Hancock town line.The Rensselaer County Health Department last month ordered the spring to
be closed after roughly a dozen people succumbed to "beaver fever" -- an
parasite caused intestinal disorder formally known as Giardiasis.Charline Powell, 74, of Lenox Avenue, made just one fateful trip to the
spring in late August. But she spent the better half of September keeled over in
pain, she said, as gut-wrenching nausea and diarrhea wreaked havoc on her
health.Powell, who waited 11 days before seeking
medical attention, said it was the worst gastrointestinal pain she had ever
experienced. "You think you're getting better, then it starts all over again,"
she said, noting that she weathered three cycles of the virulent illness before
seeing a doctor."I would'nt wish this on my
worst enemy," she said. Powell said she filled 15 empty gallon jugs at the
Stephentown spring. She said she drank the water and used it to make coffee. "My
friend and I both drank some at the well and took turns filling bottles with
other people stopping there," she said. Powell said those who stopped to fill up
bottles and jugs hailed from Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. Powell said
her treatment included taking a course of antibiotics. "Now, Im totally over
withit," she said. After she took ill, she said, she
returned to the spring and noticed the well site had been fenced off. A sign
from the Rensselaer County Health Department warned people not to drink from the
spring, but no explanation was given, according to Powell."I then talked to a few locals and found they had been at the well and
were not feeling well since," Powell said. "They did not connect their sickness
with the water, so I explained what could be their problem and [urged them] to
see a [doctor]."Powell said she lost nearly
seven pounds after being stricken by beaver fever. "That's the only good thing
about it," she said. "I have never been so sick in my entire life, I tell you."
The spring site, which was officially dismantled last month, is located about
one-quarter mile north of the intersection of routes 22 and 43, according to
Christopher J. Meyer, a public information officer for Rensselaer County.Health officials are urging anyone who may have bottled water at the site
to discard that water immediately. The site is popular with Berkshire County
residents, Meyer said. The disorder is known as beaver fever because the
animals feces entering the water can unleash the parasite. "Beavers are a
contributing factor for giardiasis," said Malcolm Speicher, the president of the
Massachusetts Trappers Association.Speicher
said beaver dams typically slow down the flow of water, particularly in rivers
and streams, which causes pH and bacteria levels to rise. He said anyone who
then drinks that water is susceptible to the intestinal illness, which is caused
by a microscopic parasite called Giardia lamblia.
Lawrence MA - The beaver dam at Den Rock Park in Lawrence caused water
to flood onto a section of nearby Route 114. The beaver dam at Den Rock Park in
Lawrence caused water to flood onto a section of nearby Route 114.Beavers have long battled humans over the flow of water, and they usually
end up on the losing side. But a pair of the aquatic rodents plying a patch of
wetlands in Lawrence were so crafty that they
apparently outwitted state officials, at least briefly.In the past few weeks, a dam built by the long-residing duo in the
wetlands adjacent to Den Rock Park sent water flooding onto nearby Route 114.Officials from the Massachusetts Highway Department moved in withbackhoes and breached the dam to drain the flooded road, which was
experiencing dangerous driving conditions.But
as often happens in such struggles with beavers, the numbers of which have
increased dramatically in the past decade in Massachusetts, the animals quickly
rebuilt their dam.The smart-thinking officials
decided to fight back by sticking a long, plastic pipe through the dam, which
accomplished the same goal as before, again draining the road and lowering the
water level in the surrounding pond.But the
indefatigable beavers weren't fooled. They ripped off some tree branches and
used mud to clog the pipes small opening.Its
certainly not uncommon to have to breach a beaver dam multiple times, said
Adam Hurtubise, a spokesman for the Highway Department.But this time, they had to build a cage around the pipe to keep the
beavers at bay and allow the water to flow through the culvert beneath Route 114
and into the Shawsheen River.The frustration
experienced by state officials isn't uncommon where nature meets development,
and the aggravation is often intense for local officials such as Tennis Lilly,
chairman of the Lawrence Conservation Commission.He often finds himself trying to placate angry homeowners who may have
had their basement or driveway flooded. He also has to ensure nature takes its
course.I have never taken as much grief over
anything as I have with beavers, Lilly said. They are very unpopular
animals.Beavers have multiplied since the
state banned leg-hold traps in 1997. There are now an estimated 60,000 to 90,000
beavers in Massachusetts, up from about 10,000 a decade ago, Lilly said.The rise in their population has created more conflicts as they encroach
on development. But Lilly has a responsibility to preserve the ecosystem and
notes that the dams beavers build help attract more wildlife to the area.He said Den Rock Park is now home to more swallows, herons, wood ducks,
mallards, spotted salamanders, wood turtles, frogs, river otters, and mink,
among other wildlife, than it had been in years.
Beavers have an impact well beyond their presence, he said. The key is we
need to learn to coexist.
Gloucester, MA -
Gregg Smith of
Citizens for Public safety thinks a partially destroyed beaver dam may be the
reason for the Gloucester's contaminated drinking water.After two weeks, there's no end in sight to the Gloucester water ban.Residents are still under an order to boil their drinking water because
of the presence of coliform bacteria.One
resident has a theory on what's causing the problem -- just a simple theory, but
a pretty good one. We went first to Babson Reservoir, main source for the
city's' drinking water.Then, another walk, to
the possible source of the problem: a broken beaver dam. Someone partially
destroyed the dam sometime over the summer. As a result, mucky water rushed
downstream and eventually made it into the reservoir."Thirty to 50 acres, three feet deep," Smith said. "Since the city hasn't come up with their own ideas, I'm just
putting this one out."City officials say they
are looking into it. "That information has been passed along to thescientists and the chemists who are investigating this," Deputy Fire
Chief Miles Schlichte said. "Along with a couple of other possibilities that
citizens have phoned in."As far as the crisis
goes, the latest water test results are better, but not good enough to lift the
boil order."It has been very frustrating,"
Mayor Carolyn Kirk said. "It's been frustrating for the citizens of Gloucester
and very disruptive to the businesscommunity."Meanwhile, Gregg Smith is hoping his beaver-dam theory gets checked out.
"It's just all the particles coming down at once, clogging the filtration
system," he explained. "It's all pretty nasty."
Today the federal government got involved, sending people from the Environmental
Protection Agency.They have toured several
sites. The mayor tells us they feel they have a working theory, but no answers
yet.
By Curt Brown
cbrown@s-t.com
September 03, 2009 12:00 AM
Dartmouth, MA - Residents in a rural, wooded section
of town say they're being terrorized by coyotes that have killed farm animals,
menaced a woman from her front porch, attacked a family pet and brazenly
snatched children's toys from a quiet backyard."I used to walk alone in the woods. I won't do that anymore," said Jeanne St.
Jean of Collins Corner Road, located in the northwest corner of Dartmouth, near
the Fall River line."I won't go. No way," St.
Jean said. On Wednesday, a frustrated Frank Gwozdz
[SEE VIDEO HERE], owner of Dream at Last Farm,
567 Collins Corner Road, stood near the remains of a goat that was killed
Tuesday night and talked about his losses.He said coyotes have killed 24 of his livestock in the past year four calves,
two adult cows, 14 young goats, two lambs and two sheep.In the past two weeks alone, coyotes have killed two goats and a sheep all
within the confines of the animals' fenced pens.Gwozdz, who raises the livestock for food and market, estimates the attacks have
taken about $10,000 worth of animals from the farm, which he has owned for 35
years.Laura Hajduk, a
wildlife biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife,
acknowledged coyotes can be fearsome and won't hesitate to attack other animals.
But she said humans shouldn't be intimidated by them."Don't let them get to you. Yell, wave your arms, let them know you're around,"
she said. "They have a natural fear of people."Hajduk said part of the problem is that coyotes have grown increasingly
accustomed to the sights and sounds of human activity such as car horns, people
talking and automobiles starting."Harassment"
is the key to getting rid of coyotes, combined with a concerted effort to
eliminate things such as pet food or garbage that can attract them, she said."It's kind of a neighborhood effort," Hajduk
said. "If one person and only one person does it, it won't be effective."Jason Gwozdz, whose parents own Dream at Last Farm, has another solution.
On Aug. 8, he shot a coyote that had attacked Nikki, his 9-year-old black
Labrador retriever, and also shot another coyote that was acting menacingly
around a cow on the farm.Gwozdz, a hunter, said
he won't hesitate to shoot again. "They're wiping out all the livestock," he
said. "How much can one man take?"He is also
worried that, "if they are getting that crazy during the day, they will go after
a kid next. ... Enough is enough."Hajduk
said while coyote attacks on humans have occurred, they are "very rare." There
have been three attacks on humans in the 50 years coyotes have been documented
in the state and two of them were by rabid coyotes, she said.Residents of Collins Corner Road aren't about to take any chances. One
person said she was trapped in her car by coyotes in her yard while another said
they terrorized her from her porch.Gwozdz's
wife, Kristen, is reluctant to allow their two children to play outside after
the coyote attacked their dog during a family barbecue on their 714 Collins
Corner Road property.Neighbors said coyotes
have become "very comfortable" in that area. "I don't see that they're scared,"
said Gloria Bancroft, who lives at 748 Collins Corner Road.Bancroft said their presence has stopped her from walking the hiking
trails near her home and she won't allow her pet outside unless it is on a
leash. The brazen animals have even stolen children's toys from her backyard.WendyHenderson, Dartmouth's health director, said officials are aware of
the coyote attack on the Gwozdzes' dog but hadn't heard about the attacks on the
livestock or the nuisance complaints of overly aggressive behavior by coyotes.Collins Corner Road residents acknowledged they have not reported these
incidents to Dartmouth's animal control officer because they don't think the
town can do anything about the coyotes.As for
the Gwozdz family, everyone is grateful that Nikki is now recovering after three
surgeries. "She looks really good.Everything is healing," Kristen Gwozdz said.
That said, the family is now grappling with nearly $7,000 in veterinary bills.
Kristen said that, at one point during treatment, the family was asked whether
they wanted to have the dog euthanized. Gwozdz was adamant. She did not even
though it meant borrowing the money from her in-laws.She believes the coyote might have attacked their children had Nikki not
intercepted it about 150 feet from her house. "They were circling each other.
She would not let that coyote in the yard," Gwozdz said. "If this dog did save
my children, how can you not save the dog?" she asked.
Salem, MA - The city may start
setting traps for foxes after getting reports of a number of the wild animals
near Highland Avenue.
One fox, which has lost much of its fur, has sparked concern by residents who
spotted it in that area. "He's been floating around quite a bit," Animal Control
Officer Don Famico said. "We're going to maybe trap it. ... Once we get him,
we'll have somebody look to see if he's suffering in any way."Famico said he has spoken to officials from the Massachusetts Division of
Fisheries and Wildlife and been told the animal may have mange, a skin
condition, but most likely is not a threat to the public. He was told the
hairless fox, however, may not make it through a cold winter."It's kind of sickly looking ... but Fisheries and Wildlife says it's ...
not a major problem." Foxes have been spotted near the Fairweather Apartments,
Collins Middle School, Gallows Hill and the police station, Famico said."Across from Salem Hospital, there were several families," he said.
"There have been several complaints about the one without the hair running
around."This summer, fox attacks have been
reported in Lawrence and Brockton. In both cities, captured foxes were found to
be rabid. There have been no similar incidents here.Famico said he plans to talk to the Animal Rescue League and state
officials before setting any traps.
WEST NEWBURY,
MA - Residents living near the old town dump off Georgetown Road fear
flooding caused by beaver dams is dangerously close to contaminating their water
supply.But despite urging from the local health
agent since June that the dams be breached immediately, state officials say they
have yet to conclusively determine the severity of the problem.Because the land is owned by the state's Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife, the town needs permission to go onto it to remove the dams.The old landfill, which was clay-capped in 1986, has been plagued by
flooding - likely due to beaver activity
- since early last spring. Concerned that contaminants
from the site might leach into their well water, residents alerted Health Agent
Paul Sevigny, the Board of Selectmen and Mass Fisheries & Wildlife about the
problem last April."As a lifelong resident who
used to make weekly trips to the landfill before it was closed, I can confirm
that there is all kinds of dangerous gunk buried there cars, chemicals and
other hazardous waste," Kevin Mullen, 118 Georgetown Road, said when reached for
comment on Monday.Sevigny conducted four site
visits in June, concluding that three major beaver dams located to the south of
the landfill were causing excessive flooding in the vegetated wetlands nearby.
The dams need to be removed to allow the natural flow of water to resume and
recede away from the landfill."Based on the
numerous site visits and data gathered, it is the Board of Health's opinion that
the rising water level adjacent to the landfill is creating a public health
threat," he wrote in a letter to Patricia Huckery, district manager for the
Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife dated June 29.Sevigny, who also contacted the state Department of Health about the
problem, also noted that elevated levels of standing water poised an increased
risk for mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis.When contacted yesterday for a comment for this story, Huckery said all
questions should be directed to Sevigny or to the division's press department."As far as we are concerned, this is an emergency that requires immediate
action, and we are dumbfounded as to why it isn't being treated as such. I mean,
if someone from the Board of Health told you that your drinking water may become
poisoned, wouldn't you expect it to be taken care of right away?" Mullen asked.In July, the Mass Department of Environmental Protection sent out solid
waste engineer Dave Adams to determine if flooding in the area caused by the
dams was a threat to neighboring household wells. Adams was involved with the
closure of the landfill in 1986.In an e-mail to
Sevigny dated Aug. 6, John Carrigan, the Solid Waste section chief at DEP, noted
that Adams did not observe anything during his site visit that immediately
suggested the higher water level threatens the integrity of the landfill cap. In
addition, he noted that no data has been provided relative to the private wells
or the groundwater conditions at the site regarding the potential for the
groundwater flow from the landfill to be intercepted by the wells. A review of
the aerial photographs suggests that the wells may be cross gradient and not
down gradient of the landfill, Carrigan concluded.Sevigny then requested a second site review with the engineer to
highlight his concerns."Paul donned his waders
to demonstrate that the protective landfill barrier is under 2-plus feet of
water, and the test wells are similarly inundated. After about an hour of
discussion in the swamp, Dave reluctantly, sort of, agreed that there is a
potential health threat," said Mullen, who also attended the site walk.However, when reached for comment yesterday, DEP's Ed Coletta said only
that Adams is "currently reviewing the information and data that he has
collected and has not reached any final conclusions to date."But residents of Georgetown Road want less talk and more action. "We've
already lost several months because of all the bureaucracy. Meanwhile the water
level continues to rise and so does our level of concern," Mullen said. "The
solution is simple: Once the beaver dams are breached, the natural flow of water
will resume, and the health threat will go away."
By Yadira Betances August 26, 2009
|The
Eagle Tribune
ybetances@eagletribune.com
LAWRENCE, MA - Edin Tellez is
anxiously awaiting test results to determine if a fox that attacked and bit him
on his left arm yesterday had rabies. If so, Tellez, 39, would have to receive a
series of rabies vaccinations. Unchecked, the
disease can be fatal."I was surprised to see
it. I've seen them in the wild and I never
thought I'd be attacked by one, especially in the city," Tellez said yesterday.
Tellez and his brother Oscar were at 18
Towerhill St. to help clean the backyard of their cousin Rigoberto and his wife,
Carmen. Carmen Tellez said she was sitting on the front stoop when she saw the
fox walking on the back of the retaining wall. "I've never seen one before so I
was excited," Carmen Tellez said.Just a few
feet away, Edin Tellez was sitting on the sidewalk cleaning a weed whacker, when
the fox clung to his left arm. Tellez grabbed the animal by the neck, but not
before it left four bloody teeth marks on his arm. The
fox then began to circle Tellez's younger brother, Oscar Tellez, who fell to the
ground but was not bitten. When Lawrence police Officer John Tully arrived, Edin
Tellez was bleeding from the left arm. He was treated by Patriot Ambulance
workers and later went to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was treated and
released. In his police report, Tully wrote the fox was hiding under a deck in
the rear of 73 Oregon Ave., when it cornered him. "The fox came out from under
the deck and started circling me, making low growling noises and showing its
teeth," Tully wrote. "The fox was blocking my
only escape path as I had walls to my rear and left and the house in front of
me." Tully said the animal charged him and he had to fire his service weapon
twice striking the fox on the side and the spine before the ordeal ended. Sgt.
Carleton Trombly, who also was at the scene, said animal control took the fox to
the MSPCA to have it tested for rabies. "He believed it to be out of its mind,"
Trombly wrote in his report about Tully's description of the fox. Meanwhile,
Edin Tellez received a tetanus shot and was prescribed antibiotics at the
hospital. Michael Keiley, manager of the Noble Family Animal Care & Adoption
Center at the MSPCA's Nevins Farm in Methuen was not surprised that a fox was
roaming the city. "It's not rare at all. What we
are aware of is that as we expand human dwelling, their interaction with humans
is much more common," Keiley said. "Wildlife is all around us and it's important
for people to keep a good distance and not approach them."
By DON CUDDY
doncuddy@s-t.com
August 17, 2009 12:00 AM
DARTMOUTH, MA - One thing is known about coyotes: There
are definitely plenty of them in Massachusetts. One thing is not known: just how
many of them there actually are. A coyote attack on a family dog in
Dartmouth earlier this month refocused attention on these elusive predators who
have adapted well to both urban and suburban environments. A 9-year-old black
Labrador was bitten in North Dartmouth by a coyote, said Cheryl Jackson,
Dartmouth's assistant animal control officer. "It's uncertain whether the
dog approached the coyote or the coyote attacked the dog first, since no one was
in the yard at the time," she said. And fortunately, at 130 pounds, the Lab,
which has recovered, had some layers of fat to protect it. Nevertheless,
the danger posed to family pets by coyotes is very real, particularly for
smaller dogs and cats, Jackson said. Laura Hajduk, a furbearer biologist
with Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said that attacks on
larger dogs generally result from coyotes attempting to protect their territory.
"They would view a big dog as a territorial invader, and coyotes will actively
defend their territory." While coyotes are well-established in
Massachusetts, populations are difficult to estimate, Hajduk said. "But they
tend to be self-regulating. If food is scarce one year, they won't have as many
pups." There are more sightings during the summer, since both coyotes and humans
are more active, she said. "Coyotes have their pups in the spring, so at
this time of the year they are trying to feed an entire family as well as
showing the pups how to hunt." Once they establish a territory, coyotes
will patrol it, constantly looking for food and intruders and travelling up to 7
miles a day, according to Hajduk. A territory in this region could encompass 6
to 10 square miles, she said. "We have them in the city," New Bedford's
animal control officer Manny Maciel said. "They come from Dartmouth and all
over. They will travel a good distance at night. A lot of the calls we get are
from the Route 140 and Hathaway Road area because they hang around the transfer
station." However, they are usually not too common in more populated areas, he
said. "We tell people to keep their trash covered. If they can't get food
they will move on. In fact, we have a saying: 'A fat coyote is a dead coyote,'"
Maciel said, relating the story of a coyote that took up residence in Brooklawn
Park in the city's North End about 10 years ago. "People were feeding it.
They meant well, but if you feed a wild animal it loses its fear of humans and
the next thing that happens is it begins to approach people," he said. "Six
months later, it was coming out at (a nearby) school and we had to get a guy
from Fish and Wildlife to remove it."
ANDOVER, MA - Jasper the cat may have gone through a
couple of his nine lives recently.The
4-year-old domestic short hair cat of the Mintz family on Starwood Drive was
attacked by a coyote last weekend. He managed to escape the coyote's grasp, and
is on the mend after a few stitches and an evening at an animal hospital.The Mintz family - Claudia, Howard and their children Isaac, 10, Jesse, 8
and Hannah, 6 - say they are very happy to have Jasper back, and are spreading
the word that coyote attacks are a real danger in Andover."I was somewhat cavalier about coyotes because I had never seen one
myself. Even though it was in the back of my mind, I didn't hesitate to let my
cat out," said Claudia. "I realize now that it can happen to anyone. Just
because I didn't see coyotes, it doesn't mean that they're not there. I assumed
we were immune to it, but we weren't."The
Mintzes did not see Jasper's coyote attack, but Howard did notice a coyote in
their backyard around 4 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 1, and later discovered Jasper's
wounds. After the family had taken Jasper to the animal hospital, the coyote
returned the next day, probably to finish the job and the meal that got away,
said Claudia.Starwood Crossing is a single
street cul-de-sac off Greenwood Road. The Mintzes backyard abuts a wooded area.
In July, Andover police issued a special warning to pet owners, after two dogs
were attacked and carried away by coyotes in the span of two weeks. Coyote
sightings and attacks have continued through the summer, say police, and
residents are asked not to leave pets tied outside, unattended, or to feed pets
outdoors.Claudia says her family will keep
Jasper inside from now on, and keep close supervision on their dog Sabrina, a
lab mix, whenever she goes out. The Mintzes three children were upset by
Jasper's attack, and understand that he needs to stay inside, even though he
doesn't like it."I explained to the kids that
he would be in danger again. They understand that Jasper was very lucky," said
Claudia. "They now call him the mighty cat. He got away from the jaws of death."
Staff at a North Andover animal hospital confirmed Jasper's injuries were coyote
puncture wounds, said Claudia. Even though Jasper had just had a round of
vaccinations, he will have to be quarantined at the Mintz home for 45 days,
according to animal control protocol."The vet
said it was very unusual that he survived. Somehow, Jasper was able to get
away," said Claudia. "He fought and got away from that coyote, and boy he was
very lucky." On Tuesday, July 21, a Stouffer Circle resident called police to
report that his poodle was taken by a coyote from his yard in the early morning.Earlier in July, a dog was plucked from a yard off Dascomb Road by a
coyote when the owner let the dog out in the early morning. A second attack
happened on the trails around Haggetts Pond, when a local woman let her dog off
leash to run.
By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent |
August 11, 2009
Boston Globe
WHITMAN, MA - A
fox crime spree in Whitman may have come to an end yesterday at the hands of a
rake-wielding resident.
I whacked him over the head with an iron rake, said John Watt, 42, who was
checking on his pet rabbits when the fox came at him about 7 a.m. The blow with
the rake was fatal.The animal, possibly rabid,
is believed to have triggered seven police calls in Whitman on Sunday, during a
rampage that left two people bitten, police said.I believe its probably the same one, but I'm not positive because
there's a den of them out there, said Robert Hammond, the towns animal
control officer.The trouble began just before 2
p.m. Sunday on Brigham Street, where six toddlers were playing in a backyard.
The homes owner, Tom Shannon, said a fox was lying in the shade of a pop-up
camper.I've seen [the fox] two or three times
before, he said, but always at night and never this close. About 30 minutes
later, a fox startled Cynthia Dorchester, 66, in her Franklin Street backyard.
She threw a 5-pound bag of fertilizer at the canine, which it caught in its
mouth, giving Dorchester time to get away.He
was aggressive. I saw his teeth and he was ready to attack, said Dorchester,
who hasnever seen a fox in her 62 years in Whitman.
If I hadn't had that bag in my hand, he would've gotten me.Down the street less than an hour later, Jeannie Kenney was waxing her
car when she was bitten in the buttocks, piercing her skin. She received seven
shots for rabies yesterday as a precaution. I was bending down and next thing I
know he was on my butt, she said. It was just a little nip; there was some
blood on my shorts.It is unclear whether the
incidents stem from the same fox. Hammond said that, based on the animals
actions, one of the towns foxes has gone bad. . . . All the symptoms say to me
that its rabies.Whitman police Officer Frank
O'Rourke believes multiple foxes are menacing the area. There's probably more
than one, he said. The way they were traveling [Sunday] night, this fox had
to have his best Nike sneakers on to travel that fast.Four more sightings, two on Winter Street, one on Hickey Hollow Lane, and
one on Franklin Street, came between 4 and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. In one Winter
Street case, a fox attacked a mans foot, puncturing his sneaker but not his
skin.Later that night, Hammond, 68, shot at a
fox. I may have hit it, but I'm not sure, he said, adding: It rolled over,
then got up and ran off. The body of the fox killed yesterday did not have a
bullet wound, according to Hammond. He said hell send the body to be tested for
rabies, but because the carcass was left out in the sun all day - Watt killed it
at 7 a.m. and reported it 11 hours later - the results may be inconclusive.O'Rourke said that although foxes do inhabit the town, he has never heard
of an attack during his 35 years of duty. But not even on my best days would I
trust one, he said.
NORFOLK,
MA - A 70-year resident of Priscilla Avenue was attacked by a rabid skunk
Sunday afternoon after he attempted to shoo the animal off his property,
according to Animal Control Officer Hilary Cohen. The skunk went after the man,
who had swatted at it with his crutches, around 2 p.m. Sunday, even pursuing him
into his home, nestled in a wooded area near the former Norfolk Airport. The
skunk bit the mans shoes, pant legs and crutches; it is unclear whether the
skunk drew blood, since the man declined treatment, Cohen said. "Basically, he
saw the skunk in his yard and went outside to shoo it away and it attacked him,"
said Cohen, who is not identifying the man. "He's somewhat disabled, so by the
time he could get away from it the skunk chased him inside. He somehow managed
to get the skunk back outside. He said he basically cornered it with his
crutches and kept shooing it back out." Cohen arrived following a 911-call, and
had two encounters with the creature before shooting it dead. First, as the
skunk came at her, she grabbed a snow shovel that was on the lawn, scooped the
advancing skunk up and flung it away. At that point, the animal scurried off
into the undergrowth, but then came back as Cohen was looking for it. She ended
up shooting it three times. Cohen said she hasn't often seen a manifestation of
furious rabies, but this skunk clearly had been driven mad by the illness. "This
animal had the classic foaming of the mouth, he was very aggressive and he was
intent to chase people and hurt them," she said. The remains were sent to the
state Department of Public Health in Jamaica Plain for confirmation of Cohen's
visual diagnosis. The results came back July 27 positive for the rabies virus,
she said. A second skunk was shot at the same property on Tuesday and sent in
for testing; those results were not expected back until after the Gazettes
press deadline. Cohen said authorities are also working on removing numerous
feral cats from the area that were interacting with the first skunk and have
clearly been exposed to the virus; they will be euthanized. As of Wednesday
afternoon, nine cats had been removed; one cat carcass found in the yard Sunday
was also removed, but the remains were in such poor condition that testing for
rabies infection could not be undertaken, Cohen said. Cohen said animals
suspected of rabies are not unheard of in the town, but Sundays attack on a
person is the first she has encountered in Norfolk. She said there are a lot of
skunks this year that have been showing strange behavior and, in fact, another
skunk on the other side of town was also put down Sunday because it was
suspected of having rabies. There was no human exposure in that case. Sunday was
also the day another resident was bitten by a bat; she swatted the bat away, so
there was no specimen to send in for rabies testing. As a precaution, the woman
is undergoing treatment for rabies, Cohen said.
The Priscilla Avenue resident may also have to
undergo treatment for rabies exposure which, according to the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health, includes administration of rabies immune globulin
and a series of five rabies vaccine shots over the course of a months (rabies
shots are no longer given in the stomach). Cohen said the mans physician and
the state Department of Public Health would determine the course of action in
his case. The skunk attack is the second one by a rabid animal in the area in
the past week and a half. Last Wednesday, a rabid cat attacked a man in
Bellingham. In the aftermath of the attack, Cohen is advising residents
especially those in the Leland Road and Priscilla Avenue area of town to avoid
contact with any stray cats, dogs or wildlife.
The worry is that other animals on the mans property or in the neighborhood
could have been exposed to the virus. "If you live in this area and have pets,
please check them over for any possible bite marks if you have allowed your
animal to roam without supervision in the past week," she noted in an advisory
on the town Web site. "I cannot stress enough how absolutely imperative it is
for your pet to be current on their rabies vaccinations as the rabies virus is
fatal if contracted." According to the state DPH, rabies is a fatal disease of
the brain and spinal cord caused by a virus. "Rabies in humans is very rare in
the U.S., but rabies in certain animals especially wildlife is common in
many parts of the country, including Massachusetts," the DPH fact sheet on
rabies states.The rabies virus lives in the
saliva and nervous tissues of infected animals and is spread when they bite or
scratch. The virus can also be spread if saliva from an infected animal touches
broken skin, open wounds or the lining of the mouth, nose, or eyes. It may also
be possible to inhale the virus in caves crowded with infected bats. Rabies can
infect any mammal, but is most common in bats, skunks, foxes, woodchucks, and
raccoons. Cats, dogs and livestock can contract rabies as well, and transfer it
to their owners. A rabid animal often behaves strangely after the virus begins
to take effect on their brains. According to the DPH, "Rabid animals may attack
people or other animals for no reason, or they may lose their fear of people and
seem to be unnaturally friendly.""Not all rabid
animals act in these ways, however, so you should avoid all wild animals
especially bats, skunks, foxes, and raccoons," the DPH advises. "Also, you
should not feed or touch stray cats and dogs." How can you prevent rabies?
Avoid wild animals, especially bats, skunks,
foxes, and raccoons. Do not feed or pet strays. Avoid any animalwild, farm or
petthat you do not know. Report any animal that behaves oddly to your local
animal control official. Teach your children
to avoid wildlife, strays, and all other animals they do not know well. Do not handle dead, sick, or injured wild animals yourself; call the
police or animal control officer. If you must handle the animal, use heavy
gloves, sticks or other tools to avoid direct contact. Make sure your pets are vaccinated against rabies and that their shots
are up-to-date. By law, all dogs, cats and ferrets must be vaccinated against
rabies. Feed pets indoors and keep them
indoors at night If they are outside during the day, keep them on a leash or
fenced in so they cannot wander. It is possible for vaccinated pets to get
rabies. Pets allowed to roam freely are more likely to get rabies and possibly
expose people and other pets in your home.
Fasten trash can lids tightly. Garbage attracts animals (like skunks, raccoons,
and strays) looking for an easy meal. It is
against state law to keep wild animals such as skunks or raccoons as pets. There
are no rabies vaccines for most wild species.
Cap your chimney with screens and block openings in attics, cellars, and porches
to keep wild animals like bats and raccoons out of your home. If you have bats in your house, talk to a professional about
bat-proofing your home. Animal control
officers, veterinarians, their assistants, and others who have a lot of contact
with strays or wildlife should get routine rabies vaccinations to protect
themselves before they are exposed to the virus.
BRIDGEWATER,
MA
- The residents of High Pond Estates are on high alert since a rabid fox
shattered the calm of their peaceful neighborhood. The state Department of
Public Health confirmed the fox that attacked 71-year-old Shirley Doyle tested
positive for rabies. Doyle, who is receiving a course of rabies shots,
said she's still shaken by the incident. When she went for a recent walk,
her daughter insisted she take a gardening claw with her just in case. And
she's not alone. She saw a couple of neighbors in the manufactured home
community carrying big sticks as they strolled along. And someone posted a
sign at the entrance to the development notifying people of the attack.
Doyle, of 4 Edgewood Drive,
credits the bravery and quick thinking of her neighbor Norman Millikan, of
2 Edgewood Drive,
with saving her life. She recounts how she had just been out for a walk
and was cutting across her trim front lawn on the evening of Saturday, July 12,
when she thought she saw a silvery-gray cat trotting down her tranquil street,
which is lined with woods on one side. Suddenly, the animal charged toward
her, lunged at her ankle, sunk its teeth in and pulled her down to the ground.
Its teeth felt like razor blades, she said. The 71-year-old grandmother
managed to push the fox off with her sandal, but he swung around and grabbed the
back of her leg, and this time she couldn't shake him. She lay on the
ground struggling with the frenzied animal and screaming for help. But it was a
hot night and her neighbors had their air conditioners on. She feared no one
would hear her calls. Her blood was all over the lawn. I thought I was
going to die. The pain was so bad, I thought I was going to pass out, Doyle
said. One house down, Millikan was watching Dial M for Murder with his
wife when he remembered he hadn't locked his truck, an unusual occurrence.
As he headed out to take care of it, Millikan heard Doyles screams. At first he
thought it was just hergrandchildren playing in the sprinkler. Then he
spotted Doyle lying on the ground. God was there. He sent him to me,
Doyle said. He didn't hesitate. Millikan grabbed the fox by the
tail and threw it into the street. He expected the animal to run into the woods,
but instead it came after him. It lunged at him three or four times, finally
grabbing hold of his pant leg.That's when the retired mental health worker made
his move. As the fox's mouth was occupied, Millikan got his foot on the animals
neck, grabbed its tail with his right hand and its hind legs with his left.
Millikan managed to hold the fox down until firefighters arrived and killed it
with the blunt end of an ax. I cant say enough about how wonderful the
care has been, from the emergency personnel on the scene to the staff at BrocktonHospital,
Doyle said. All along the animal was making an eerie sound and fighting to
get free. He wasn't giving up, Doyle said. But neither was
Millikan. Doyle says Millikan is her hero, but he shrugs it off.
She would have done the same for me. You don't stop to think, you just act, he
said. Doyle, who's lived on Edgewood Drive
for two-and-a-half years, and Millikan, who's lived there for 19 years, said
they've occasionally seen brown foxes before, but they were always shy and ran
away, the opposite of the one that attacked her. Millkan said he's a little more cautious outdoors since
the incident. This fox was rabid. It doesn't mean he was the only one,
Millikan said. Doyle had a nightmare a few days ago the fox was at the
foot of her bed tearing at her legs, which are both bandaged and bruised.
She awoke to find shed been kicking at the covers as she struggled with the
animal in her sleep. Doyle will get a total of five shots, one per week.
Millikan said his doctors advised him he doesn't need the shots since the fox
did not break his skin. Despite the shots, Doyle said she's frightened
shell contract rabies. Health officials suspected from the start the fox
was rabid, but finding out for sure still came as a shock, she said. But
Doyle reminds herself her doctors have assured her shell be fine. I am
going to by OK. I will put this behind me, she said. But one thing she
wont forget is Millikan's selfless act, she said. He's a very
easy-going, quiet guy. I don't think he wants all the attention. But he deserves
it, Doyle said.
RAYNHAM,
MA - Another instance of wildlife migration into a residential neighborhood
occurred last week when a coyote attacked a cat belonging to a Cynthia Drive
family.At about 11 p.m. Thursday, Lynda and Rick Rose were
searching outside their home for their 12-year-old house cat, Wren, when they
heard the cat wailing as it was snatched up by a coyote.Rick Rose yelled at the animal as he ran from the
back deck with a golf club, causing the frightened animal to drop the white,
20-pound cat and run into an open area along a power line behind the house.Wren was treated for severe bruises and several
puncture wounds at an animal hospital in Bridgewater. Back home and feeding
through an intravenous tube, the cats survival is very uncertain, Lynda Rose
said.Since the attack, her 12-year-old daughter locks the doors
at night and has been afraid to leave the house. It's stressful, Rose said.She has sighted the gray coyote several times this
year, once at about 10 a.m. on nearby Pleasant Street. And she worried that
other pets in the neighborhood are at risk. If it keeps getting animals its
going to keep coming, Rose said. Marion Larson, a biologist with the stateDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, said the
incident will become more common if coyotes find new sources of food such as
garbage, small pets and even bird feed. They're going to take any meal wherever
they possibly can, Larson said. Noting that there have only been three reported
attacks since coyotes were first found roaming in Massachusetts, Larson stressed
that coyotes are not known to harm humans. Despite several reported coyote
sighting in Raynham this year and the mauling death of a small dog on Locust
Street in February, Larson said the coyote population has not dramatically
increased in recent years. Rather, she said, coyotes thrive in suburban
landscapes that present new sources of food. Unless humans yell and attempt to
scare off coyotes, she said, encounters with the animals will be more common.Raynham Animal Control Officer Fred
Sylvia said, so far, coyotes appear to be moving around town at will. They are
just looking for food and they just have no fear of people right now.tfaulkner@tauntongazette.com
BROCKTON, MA - Animal control
officers are hunting down two foxes involved in three attacks on people this
week in a neighborhood on the city's north side, Supervisor Thomas DeChellis
said today. Officers believe they may be guarding a den of
pups, and the department is investigating the gender of the animals and whether
they are rabid, he said. "I have been working for 15 years in
animal control," DeChillis said. "But this type of incident has never happened."
Officers are searching for a silver fox involved in two attacks and a red
one that bit a third person last night, DeChellis said. But many grey foxes also
have a lot of red fur, and there may be only one fox involved, said Marion
Larson, a biologist with the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. A
silver fox bit the lace of Isabella Robbins's in-ine skate Monday night just as
she was reaching home with her mom and 3-year-old sister, she said. Her mother
Jennifer Robbins, who was walking in front of Isabella, dragged her daughter as
she screamed for help. A neighbor came out and scared the fox away before the
girl was bitten. "I am never wearing those skates again,"
said Isabella, 9, who remains afraid to play outside. Mary
Seaver had been spreading mulch in the corner of her front garden, when a silver
fox jumped out of the bushes and latched on to her ankle. Seaver screamed as she
grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and pried its mouth open, she said. The fox
scampered off into the bushes. "I looked down and copious
amounts of blood were spilling from my sneakers," said Seaver, who immediately
called 911. "I was up shivering in fevers all night." That
night, a few houses down the street, Mary Ellen Nutting, 47, had been in her
backyard garden picking some vegetables for a friend, when she heard scratching
on the other side of her wooden fence. Nutting, who had seen a red fox crouching
around her yard earlier, and her friend took off running toward her house. The
fox chased them and bit into Nutting's ankle, while her friend ran inside, she
said. Nutting began beating it with the watering hose stick she had been
holding, which was the size of a golf club, until it dashed away. The symptoms
displayed by the foxes are unusual and could mean the animals are distempered or
have an aggressive form of rabies, Larson said. A member from their department
may pay a site visit to the city tonight or early tomorrow morning to help with
the search, she said. "It is very difficult to catch a wild animal
even if the attacks are happening in the same neighborhood," she said.
Georgetown, MA - For the second time in less than a week, a
coyote has claimed the life of a local pet.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday, a Clark Street resident called police reporting a
coyote had come onto his porch and taken his cat away in its mouth.The coyote headed in the direction of Moulton Street, the resident said.
"Officers checked the immediate area but were unable to locate the animal,"
Georgetown Detective Thomas DeJoy said.The
cat's owner could not be reached for comment yesterday. Sunday's incident comes
within four days of when Abbey Road resident Lisa Burke's Jack Russell terrier
named Lucy was attacked and killed as Burke walked her in the Georgetown/Rowley
State Forest on Wednesday morning.A second of
Burke's dogs was also injured in the attack but is recovering at home. "The
coyote scooped her up and tried to carry her away," Burke said. "The coyote came
toward us and caught me off guard. Our friendliest dog (Lucy) ran toward it to
play with the coyote."In the aftermath of
Wednesday's attack, Burke said she hoped to urge all local residents to be on
the lookout as they walked their dogs. "It wasn't dark out, and I wasn't far
from the parking lot," Burke said. "I've never seen a coyote so aggressive."In June, a Groveland woman was surrounded and chased out of the woods by
a pack of coyotes while she walked her four dogs. She had been walking her dogs
near Carter's Ice Cream on Haverhill's Salem Street, which extends to the old
Groveland sand pits and across some strawberry fields once used as soccer
fields. The woman and her dogs were not hurt in the incident, but Groveland
police issued alerts to residents.Last week Laura Hajduk, a biologist with the Massachusetts Department of
Wildlife, urged residents to keep dogs close to them on leashes when walking and
make sure to keep other small pets indoors at all times."Coyotes are naturally fearful of people," Hajduk
said after Wednesday's attack. "When the dog is close to the person, they are an
extension instead of a food item or another canine in someone else's territory."Another thing dog owners can do to prevent an attack like yesterday's is
to make a lot of noise if they do spot a coyote nearing their pet. "Attacks on
people are very rare," Hajduk
said. "We have had three in Massachusetts in more than 50 years. It is very rare
coyotes are aggressive toward people."Hajduk
said making a lot of noise by clapping or banging pots and pans will scare
coyotes off and always remember to rid your backyard of garbage or bird feeders,
which attract predators."If at all possible,
please keep your pets inside," DeJoy said. "A roaming pet is a target for a
hungry coyote or fox. Also, please refrain from leaving food outside to feed
your pet. Outside feeding will also attract coyotes and other wild animals."
Coyotes attacked and killed a dog that
was walking with her owner in the Georgetown/Rowley State Forest
last Wednesday morning.Georgetown resident Lisa Burke thinks the coyotes were stalking
her and her four dogs during their entire walk.My dogs were staying unusually close to me all morning,
says Burke. I did not even see the coyotes coming they
came out on the trail right in front of me and were approaching
me aggressively when my dogs saw them. By then it was too
late.Like many Georgetown dog owners, Burke
liked to walk her four dogs in the forest where they could run
along unleashed. On July 15, she approached the parking lot
after her walk and, with all the dogs right with her, prepared
to put their leashes back on before crossing the parking lot
entrance. Two coyotes suddenly charged her at trail marker
number 15.The two coyotes
attacked Burkes little Boston terrier Stella, and that's when
Jack Russell terrier Lucy came to the rescue.Lucy died a hero she saved Stella by
jumping into the fight and attacking the coyotes when they went
for Stella, says Burke, who also sent a mass e-mail to
other local dog owners as a warning about the attack. One was
holding Stella by the throat and the other had her back legs.
When Lucy entered the fight the coyotes dropped Stella and
picked up Lucy.Maggie [the new
family boxer] protected me, another hero in my eyes. Maggie, a
boxer we have only had for one month, chased the coyotes when
they picked up Lucy. I picked up Lucy off the path and ran
carrying her as fast as I could because I knew she was in shock.
The coyotes chased me to try to get at Lucy, but Maggie kept
barking and they stayed back. I got Lucy to the vet and she was alive but she went into
cardiac arrest and they couldn't save her. I feel so bad
and sad I will miss her so much. She was such a terror, but
that's what I loved about her. Her motto, I think, was
It's all in the attitude.Stella was very badly
injured but, thanks to Lucy's heroic actions, is expected to
survive and be OK after a few weeks.She has a lot of puncture wounds from the coyotes
teeth, and bruises on her chest from when they were carrying her
away and shaking her, says Burke. Stella had her current
rabies shots and she was given a booster shot. She is in
quarantine at home here at home for the next 42 days.Georgetown Animal Inspector Holly Willard stopped by to
check Stella out as well.Burke
says she cant thank the Bulger Animal Hospital in North Andover
enough for the care they gave Lucy and Stella.They did everything they could for Lucy you could'nt
have asked for more, says Burke. Stella is still not herself.
The vets said she might be mourning for Lucy for a while she
keeps looking for her.Burke is
warning dog owners to be aware of this new danger to their pets
in the forest.The Georgetown
Police Report on the incident notes the attack took place in an
area behind the Penn Brook School section of the forest while
all the dogs were close by their owner. Burke and her other two
dogs were not injured in the attack.Georgetown Police Lt. Don Cudmore says people need to be
aware of what's out there.Any
person walking in the forest should be mindful that coyotes and
other wild animals are always present, and should avoid them
whenever possible, says Cudmore.He encourages residents to learn more about coyotes and
other wildlife by visiting the Mass. Wildlife Web site at
by
The Republican
Newsroom - SANDRA E. CONSTANTINEsconstantine@repub.com
Friday July 17, 2009, 9:00 PM
SOUTH HADLEY - Town officials are looking into whether they can resolve flooding
at the Ledges Golf Club created by busy beavers without having to destroy the
rodents.Interim town administrator Jennifer L. Wolowicz said on
Friday that officials are working with Dr. Katherine Lannon of 22 Valley View
Drive to find alternatives to trapping and killing the beavers.Lannon is the resident who complained to the
Conservation Commission recently about golf course superintendent Michael
Fontaine breaching a beaver dam that had flooded a cart path near a bridge over
White Brook. Fontaine took that action the weekend of June 20 because of the
effect the dam had on the cart path as well as the potential of flooding
affecting utility and sewer lines under the bridge.The Conservation Commission ordered the removal of
invasive species near the site because Fontaine did not get its permission to do
work in a wetland. Fontaine later got a permit from the Board of Health to trap
and destroy the animals.Wolowicz said she is uncertain if the animals' lives can
be spared, but that Fontaine is working on the issue. Fontaine could not be
reached for comment.
Georgetown MA - Police are urging residents to keep
their dogs on leashes after one woman's dog was killed by a coyote as she walked
her dogs yesterday morning.Yesterday shortly
before 9 a.m., Georgetown police received a call from a resident who reported
while his wife was walking their four dogs in the Georgetown/Rowley State
Forest, one of the dogs, a Jack Russell terrier, was attacked by two coyotes and
severely injured.After the incident, Detective
Thomas DeJoy stated the owners of the dog were too upset to speak about the
incident publicly. DeJoy said the dogs were not on leashes but were close to
their owner when the coyotes approached them. The owner was not injured in the
attack. The Jack Russell terrier was taken to a local animal hospital, where it
later died. A second dog was also injured but is expected to make a full
recovery.The attack took place in an area
behind the Penn Brook School section of the forest; theMassachusetts Environmental Police were also advised of the incident."This time of year, coyotes have their pups and they are out looking for
food often," said Laura Hadjuk, a biologist with the Massachusetts Department of
Wildlife. "Small dogs and cats are most vulnerable. Dogs should be kept on
leashes very close to the person walking it. Cats should be kept indoors."In June, a Groveland woman was surrounded and chased out of the woods by
a pack of coyotes while she walked her four dogs. She had been walking her dogs
near Carter's Ice Cream on Haverhill's Salem Street, which extends to the old
Groveland sand pits and across some strawberry fields once used as soccer
fields. The woman and her dogs were not hurt in the incident, but Groveland
police issued alerts to residents.Jajuk said
when coyotes see a dog close to an owner on a leash, they register the animal as
an extension of the person. "Coyotes are naturally fearful of people," Jajuk
said. "When the dog is close to the person, they are an extension instead of a
food item or another canine in someone else's territory."
Another thing dog owners can do to prevent an attack like yesterday's is to make
a lot of noise if they do spot a coyote nearing their pet. "Attacks on people
are very rare," Jajuk said. "We have had three in Massachusetts in more than 50
years. It is very rare coyotes are aggressive toward people."Jajuk said making a lot of noise by clapping or banging pots and pans
will scare coyotes off and always remember to rid your backyard of garbage or
bird feeders, which attract predators."You want
to discourage them," Jajuk said. "They eat just about anything: mice, rabbits,
chipmunks, vegetation and garbage."
Statewide MA - More communities must deal with beaver
management issues as the animals multiply and expand their range. More
communities must deal with beaver management issues as the animals multiply and
expand their range. (Diane Hargreaves). Roadways
flooded by blocked culverts. Backyards sopping with overflowing brooks. Septic
systems filled to the bursting point.
Conservation-minded officials in the suburbs west of Boston say they dont like
to make enemies of the beavers that have taken to the brooks and streams in the
woods around them, but the animals are making for an even more waterlogged
spring and summer.In communities such as
Westborough, Maynard, Milford, and Holliston, residents and officials are having
to deal more and more with beavers and the problems they pose, as the creatures
numbers and range have expanded.If a human did
what beavers do, the human would be in jail, said Paul McNulty, public health
director for Westborough. Theyre nice and cute and all, but they cause a lot
of damage.The beavers build their lodges
across municipal waterways, McNulty said, creating an attractive mating spot and
then, theres three, four, five of them in there.And the dams are not just flooding roads, sewers, and lawns.This is
causing great damage to our wetlands, too, he said. Its getting to be a
real, real problem. The town has had to set up a separate line item in the
budget for beaver control.b The $5,000 line
item is meant to allow Westborough officials to hire licensed trappers.According to McNulty, three such permits have been issued so far, netting
what McNulty estimated were 15 to 20 beavers. Each permit is valid for 10 days,
allowing a trapper to remove as many beavers as they can find at a site.Laura Hajduk, a biologist at the state Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife, said reports of beavers damming up the suburbs come as no surprise.When you have a certain number in an area, they have to go somewhere,
Hajduk said. They may be moving into an area in which they hadnt previously
been prevalent.Beavers are a Massachusetts
comeback story, according to the state agency. They vanished entirely in the
state in the late 1700s as a result of hunting and deforestation.As woodlands recovered, and after the reintroduction of the beaver in the
1930s, the population rebounded. In 1952, a regulated hunting season was
implemented. Then, in 1996, a state referendum banned the quick-kill trapscommonly used by hunters and researchers.
Hajduk said the beaver count tripled between 1996 - when it hovered around
20,000 - and 2001, which was the last year in which the state issued a
beaver-population estimate.Hajduk said
additional changes to beaver-trapping laws came in 2000, putting the authority
for trapping licenses in the hands of local governments, and thus eliminating
mandatory reporting to the state.This took
away our most effective tools for beaver management, Hajduk said.
WORCESTER
MA - Barry Blomgren called his sister Melanie Lombardi Monday night and told
her she would not believe what happened to him.He told me a fox bit him, and
he was on his way to the hospital, said Ms. Lombardi, of Boylston. What makes
the story even more interesting, she said, was that two others in the same
neighborhood were attacked by a potentially rabid fox Tuesday.A local man is being hailed as a hero for helping rid a
West Side neighborhood of a rabid fox that attacked a 76-year-old
woman outside her Mount Hope Terrace apartment Tuesday morning. The fox also
attacked the rescuer. The woman, Wenyu Chen, remained hospitalized last
night from injuries suffered in the daytime attack. Robert Ford, the man who
came to her rescue, was treated at a city hospital for a bite to his leg. Mr.
Ford began a series of rabies shots as a precaution.
Mr. Blomgren was outside
trimming his lawn at his home at 32
Westland St.
about 7:30 p.m. Monday when a fox came up behind him and bit his ankle.
It was nothing compared to those other people, Mr.
Blomgren said yesterday morning. The fox, it might have been the same one, hit
me from my blind side. The fox then attacked the pile of grass clippings
in a nearby paper bag. Mr. Blomgren said he threw his weed-whacking tool at the
fox to try to scare him away. Mr. Blomgren's
front door was locked, so he went around to the back and made it in the back
door. The fox followed him up the stairs. The weird thing when it
happened is there were some kids in the neighborhood, and I told them to go
home, Mr. Blomgren said. He said he moved to the city about 18 months ago from
Rutland where nothing like this ever
happened to him. His wife, who is a nurse practitioner, drove him to UMassMemorialMedicalCenter
Memorial Campus about 8:30 that night. He did not get out of the hospital
until almost 2:30 a.m. because the rabies serum for recommended shots had to be
transferred from another area hospital, he said.
Mr. Blomgren said
he tried to contact a Worcester animal control
officer before leaving for the hospital but got a recording that said because of
budget cuts, the department no longer responds to animal control issues. As of
yesterday, the start of the fiscal year, animal control is handled by the
Worcester Police Department. Mr. Blomgren said hospital officials recommended he
report the incident to police Tuesday morning, which he did. While Mr.
Blomgren believes the fox that bit him was the same fox that bit the other two
people, he said he decided to undergo the series of rabies shots just in case
that fox did not prove to be rabid and it may have been another fox that bit
him. He received seven rabies shots and a tetanus shot Monday night, and will
have to go back four more times for more shots. I'm not going to take a
chance, Mr. Blomgren said. I just hope this does'nt happen to anyone else.
I've never heard of a fox doing this. Dr. Florina S. Tseng, director of
the wildlife clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at TuftsUniversity in Grafton, said the most
common occurrence of rabies in animals in Central
Massachusetts is in raccoons. Maybe it (the fox) was bitten
by a raccoon, Dr. Tseng said. People in the region should use
common-sense precautions, Dr. Tseng said. I would emphasize to do
everything not to attract wildlife, Dr. Tseng said. She said keep lids on
trash, don't put out cat food, and do not pick up baby wild animals. Keep
your distance, especially the babies. Babies can have rabies from their mother.
Please don't pick them up. And don't feed wild animals, she said. The fox
that attacked the woman and man Tuesday was euthanized. The state lab in Jamaica
Plain determined it had rabies. Mrs. Chen was listed in fair condition
yesterday, according to hospital officials.
Beaver traps were
outlawed in 1996, and now the state's beaver population has skyrocketed from
20,000 to 70,000.
"Following those changes we did see an expanding of the beaver population and
with that an increase in complaints," says Laura Hadjuk of Mass. Wildlife. Now,
beaver dams are flooding areas that have seldom been flooded. One backyard
visited in Concord now floods whenever it rains heavily because of a new beaver
dam nearby. "Well I believe that the beavers are happy, but the neighborhood
here is not very happy," one resident said. "When it rains or gets backed up in
that pit where the beaver dam is, the backyard over here fills with water."
BEAVER DECEIVERS
But one beaver dam in Westboro is equipped with what's called a 'beaver
deceiver'. A pipe is inserted into the dam to allow water to flow, then it's
caged off so the beavers don't build over it. "It allows the beavers and the
homeowners to live harmoniously," explains Delia Kaye with Concord Natural
Resources. "So the [upstream] water level is reduced, but still is deep enough
so the beavers can live but not cause flooding or the impairment of structures
or whatever is causing the health or safety concern."
CO-EXISTENCE AND MANAGEMENT
With beaver numbers steadily increasing, people and wildlife officials have to
be resourceful. Is there a long-term solution or do we just have to learn to
live with them? Hadjuk's answer is co-existence
and management. "Have regulated trapping go through, come through on a regular
basis if you have continual problems." There is an upside to all of this though.
The wetlands caused by the beavers do help to recharge the water tables.
Groveland, MA -
A Haverhill woman says she had a harrowing brush with the wild, when she was
surrounded by coyotes while walking her dogs in a wooded area.Mary Burke, 47, was out walking her four Labrador retrievers at around 7
a.m. Monday in an area off Groveland Road in the town of Groveland, which is
adjacent to Haverhill, when she looked up and saw a coyote staring her down."I was talking on the phone to a friend when all of a sudden there was
one, then there was four, and they surrounded me," Burke said today. As I turned
around, I started crying, I said to my friend, "Oh my
God, I'm not going to make it out of here."
Burke called 911."We got a call that a
woman was being aggressively followed by coyotes," said Groveland Police Chief
Robert Kirmelewicz. "She had four good-sized dogs with her, but [the coyotes]
weren't backing down."The police were able to
locate Burke's exact position using their enhanced 911 system, which pinpointed
Burke's cellphone, said Kirmelewicz."The GPS
feature proved to be a great tool in this instance," Kirmelewicz said. "If we
hadn't been able to locate her, who knows what could have happened?"The dispatcher was able to guide Burke out of the woods as officers
rushed to help, but the coyotes kept pursuing.
"They followed me all the way out of the woods," Burke said. "All the while I
was talking to my dogs, telling them to stay with me."As Burke reached the edge of the wooded area, Groveland police cruisers
arrived on scene, sirens blaring, and the coyotes fled."It was the most scary experience of my life, and I'm a cancer survivor
twice over," Burke said."They were so close, I could've touched them with a pool cue."Chief Kirmelewicz said the officers didn't see the coyotes when they
arrived.Burke said this experience has made her
think that more should be done to control the coyote population."We used to do controlled hunts for coyotes," she said. "But that's not
the case anymore, and the population is out of control."Kirmelewicz said that while coyote sightings are not uncommon, it's
unusual for them to act this way, and he urged people to take certain
precautions when out in rural, wooded areas."I
would suggest the best thing to do, if you're approached by coyotes, is to make
a lot of noise to try and scare them off," he said. "And always carry a
cellphone."
CONCORD, Mass. The
dozens of public works officials, municipal engineers, conservation agents and
others who crowded into a meeting room here one recent morning needed help.
Property in their towns was flooding, they said. Culverts were clogged. Septic
tanks were being overwhelmed. Once wiped out in
Massachusetts, beavers were repopulated in the 1930s.
"We
have a huge problem", said David Pavlik, an engineer for the town of Lexington,
where dams built by beavers have sent water flooding into the towns sanitary
sewers. We trapped them, he said. We breached their dam. Nothing works. We
are looking for long-term solutions. Mary Hansen, a conservation agent from
Maynard, said it starkly: There are beavers everywhere. Laura Hajduk, a
biologist with the states Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, had little to
offer them. When beavers are trapped, others move in to replace them. And, she
said, you can breach a beaver dam, but I guarantee you that within 24 hours if
the beavers are still there it will be repaired. Beavers are the ultimate
ecosystem engineers. That was not what Mr. Pavlik was hoping to hear.
He is not alone in his dismay, and it is not just beavers. Around the nation,
decades of environmental regulation, conservation efforts and changing land use
have brought many species, like beavers, so far back from the brink that they
are viewed as nuisances. As Stuart Pimm, a conservation ecologist at Duke
University, put it, We are finding they are inconvenient. In Florida,
alligators were once nearly wiped out by hunters; today the state maintains a
roster of trappers who remove thousands of nuisance gators each year. The
pesticide DDT once left the Pelican State, Louisiana, bereft of the birds; today
wildlife organizations say fishermen must guard their bait and catches from the
birds. In California, warnings about marauding mountain lions are posted on
hiking trails. There were tens and maybe hundreds of millions of beavers
in North America before it was settled by Europeans, whose craze for beaver hats
is often cited as motivating much of the exploration of the continent. But by
1900 their numbers had been reduced to about 100,000, almost all of them in
Canada. As farming faded and the forests reclaimed much of their lost ground,
Castor canadensis made a spectacular comeback. Today there are believed to be 10
million to 15 million of the animals in North America, and they are regarded as
pests in much of their range. In 1999, for example, a colony moved into
the Tidal Basin in Washington, where they cut down a number of cherry trees
before being trapped and removed. According to the Department of Agriculture,
states like Mississippi, North Carolina and Wisconsin lose tens of millions of
dollars each year from beaver damage to buildings, roads, timber, crops and
trout streams. In Massachusetts, beavers had vanished by the early 19th
century, killed by trappers and dispossessed by farmers who turned woods into
pastures. But they have had a particularly strong comeback here as farmland has
returned to woodland. The change has also brought an unwelcome abundance of
coyotes, black bears, moose and other species. Wild turkeys, once extirpated,
now go one-on-one with suburban pedestrians in what biologists call misguided
efforts to establish their dominance in a pecking order. The advice from
the experts on beavers is to find a way to live with them and reduce the damage.
As Ms. Hajduk said during the Concord meeting, chicken-wire fencing can keep
beavers out of culverts or away from prized trees. Companies market water flow
devices called beaver deceivers or beaver bafflers that can be installed in
dams to lower the water level of beaver ponds. Some people even coat prized
trees with paint and sand in the hope that the grit will discourage gnawing
beavers. If people want to live in a more natural environment, they must adjust
to animals, even inconvenient animals, Dr. Pimm said in a telephone interview.
You have to accept Mother Nature as she is, he said. John Livsey, Mr.
Pavliks boss and the town engineer in Lexington, has firsthand experience with
the beaver problem. The animals are building dams in wooded areas traversed by
the towns sewer lines, he said, and as water rises, it seeps through manholes
into the sewer pipes. The town must pay for the treatment of this extra
inflow. Though Mr. Livsey said he could not put a dollar figure on it, its a
lot of money. The town periodically obtains permits to breach dams and
trap and kill the animals, but destroying a beaver dam can have unintended
consequences downstream, from flooding a neighbors property to destroying
habitat crucial for rare amphibians or silting up streams where endangered
Atlantic salmon spawn. Some people date the beavers return to Massachusetts to
1928, when beavers were observed in West Stockbridge and greeted with
enthusiasm, according to the Web site of the Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife. By 1946, there were an estimated 300 beavers, all west of the
Connecticut River. If a beaver dam is breached, it will be repaired
within 24 hours. Today, Ms. Hajduk said, there are at least 30,000 beavers
[ERROR should be 70,000], all over the state. In her presentation in
Concord, Ms. Hajduk said that beavers, which can reach 60 pounds and are the
largest rodents in North America, are monogamous animals that mate for life and
like to eat plants that grow underwater. They look for places to build a dam and
create a pond. Their webbed feet are adapted for life in the water, and their
front teeth, four giant incisors, are useful for cutting the trees they use as
raw materials for their dams and lodges. (They also eat the bark, particularly
in the winter.) Typically, she said, they work at night, building a
stick-and-mud lodge in the pond or at its edge, with its entrance underwater for
safety. A pair of beavers typically live 10 years, producing a litter of two or
more kits each spring. The kits stay with their parents until they are 2 years
old, then disperse in search of their own territories. Though the people
at the meeting found it hard to believe or irrelevant the beavers have
produced many benefits for the states environment, Ms. Hajduk said. She pointed
to some of them after the meeting, when she and Mary B. Griffin, the states
commissioner of fish and game, met at the Boxborough Station Wildlife Management
Area, a state reserve northwest of here. At first glance it hardly seemed
like an ideal spot for beavers. Route 2, a major east-west highway, runs along
one edge; a much-used rail line runs along another. You are really surrounded
by a lot of suburbia and roadways, Ms. Hajduk said. But trees had
reclaimed the land between the ancient stone walls. Beavers have taken full
advantage of the site, damming a small stream with mud and branches to impound a
45-acre pond perhaps five or six feet deep, with a lodge in the middle. As
she and Dr. Griffin neared the pond, a group of wood ducks, alarmed by their
approach, went squawking into the air. It was good to see them, Dr. Griffin said
they are among the species favored by hunters that the state is trying to
encourage. She pointed to an osprey sitting on a dead tree. Ospreys were almost
wiped out by DDT but are now back in Massachusetts, and this one was taking
advantage of beaver-created habitat. Just then, a great blue heron glided to a
landing in the pond, another guest of the beavers. Impoundments like this
one absorb water, especially in the spring, when streams swell with rain and
snow runoff, Dr. Griffin said. And when the impoundment eventually silts up and
the beavers move on, their dam will decay and the pond will drain, leaving
unusually rich soil behind. These beaver meadows stand out like rich
little oases, Ms. Hajduk said. Dr. Griffin said she and her colleagues
emphasized these advantages in urging people to adopt tolerance and coexistence
as a first line of defense. Mr. Livsey can embrace this concept, up to a
point, perhaps because he admires the animals engineering ability.
They're amazingly skilled creatures, actually, he said. They seem to be able
to put things where they want them. I wish they worked for us.
HOLLISTON, MA - Last month, a breached beaver dam flooded Bob Szymanski's
property in Milford. Several months before, it was a very intact one in
Holliston that swelled the Hopping Brook so it nearly washed over a small
bridge. Beaver habitats routinely clash with those of humans in metro
Boston. Other recent reports come from Westborough, Concord, Bolton and Andover,
where a hasty dam breaching flooded a charity golf event. The issue of
beaver management isn't purely academic. Untimely dams can flood houses, or muck
up sewer systems and roads - costly problems to repair. In Westborough, the town
set aside $5,000 in this year's budget just to deal with beavers. Beavers'
ecological benefits are also substantial, as beavers, North America's largest
native rodents, create wetlands that nurture other wildlife, control flooding
and purify water. "When a lot of people think of beavers now, it's not as
the animal that creates wetlands or was responsible for the earlier colonial fur
trade. In a lot of eyes, it's now the pest species that flooded my septic
system," said Laura Hajduk, furbearer biologist with the state Division of
Fisheries and Wildlife, who highlighted the mammal's unheralded talents.
"Beavers, by the nature of their activities, are ecosystem engineers. Aside from
man, they're really the only mammal that can alter their ecosystem to meet their
survival needs," she said. Massachusetts' beaver population grew
dramatically following a 1996 ballot referendum that banned most types of traps,
such as legholds and snares. As the number of trappings plummeted, the number of
beavers went from 24,000 in 1996 to about 70,000 five years later, according to
state figures. (The state hasn't officially tracked the population size since
then.) But attributing the population growth only to the ballot referendum
is probably too simplistic, said Peter Busher, a Boston University professor of
natural sciences who studies beavers. The beaver population was naturally
accelerating at the time, and the number of trappers beforehand wasn't enough to
control beavers alone, he said. In fact, at the state level, Busher said
he believes the population has stabilized or slightly declined, but in specific
spots may still be growing. "With beavers, it's not so much that we have
60,000 animals or 200,000 animals, it's more where they are and what impact
they're having on the human population," Busher said. Beavers and humans
are also attracted to similar habitats - low-lying wet areas - which compounds
the problem, said Linda Huebner, deputy director of advocacy for Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was a lead backer of the
1996 ballot question. "The issue with beavers is not that we have too many
of them, but that beavers and humans are coming into conflict in particular
places, and the good news is we can solve many of those problems non-lethally,"
she said. Trapping is still allowed in Massachusetts, from November to
mid-April, but only in box or cage traps. Other methods for dealing with beavers
include fencing and water control devices that slyly lower dams' water levels so
beavers don't notice. In emergencies, when public safety or health are
threatened, local Boards of Health can issue a permit any time of year to use a
snare trap to catch a beaver. But Hajduk said beavers are spreading into
"sub-prime beaver habitats" because of their numbers - places that aren't ideal
for them, "but given that some of the best habitats are already occupied,
beavers are forced into habitats that they could occupy but aren't preferred."
Westborough's public health director, Paul McNulty, said beavers only appeared
in town about 10 years ago. "Now it's every year and we have them in every part
of town," he said. In Holliston, during a recent brief hike along Hopping
Brook, the town's conservation agent, Patricia Brennan, described how the town
manages its beaver dams. Trained as an environmental scientist, Brennan said she
studied beavers before coming to town, but is now very well versed. "When
I started, I was informed we'd have beavers once in a while, maybe once a year,
and it's been nearly constant since we had the issue with the well," she said
referring to a 2007 incident when a dam threatened one of the town's drinking
wells. "The problems with beavers aren't the beavers themselves, but the
flooding from their engineering," Brennan said. "The beavers themselves are like
muskrats, and you don't hear people complaining about muskrats." Aaron Wasserman can be reached at 508-626-4424 or
awasserm@cnc.com.
By Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff
Milford Daily News story
Posted Jun 02, 2009 @ 10:49 PM
MILFORD, MA - Trying to tackle the beaver problem on Ivy Brook, the Conservation
Commission took a firsthand look yesterday at the problems dam breaks are
causing in north Milford. On a visit to 10 Clarridge Circle, commissioners
met with homeowner Bob Szymanski who worries his property will keep getting
flooded if, as he suspects, people continue breaking beaver dams upstream from
him. "I have lost somewhere over three feet of rock that has slid down,"
Szymanski said of the retaining walls on his property that Ivy Brook flows
through. Szymanski brought the problem to the commission's attention last month
after he suspected someone broke a big dam the beavers had built. He said the
destruction caused a huge rush of water "like Niagara Falls." The morning
after the board's meeting, which he attended, someone apparently tampered with
the dam the beavers had rebuilt because another, albeit smaller, rush of water
occurred, Szymanski told the commissioners.
"Somebody did something up there," he said. Commission Chairman Robert Buckley
told Szymanski the commission will investigate the problem, but it may be
difficult to resolve. "Beavers are tough - there are cases where, really,
they win," Buckley said, standing on a little bridge over the brook on
Szymanski's property. Commissioners need to get in touch with the owner of
the landlocked piece of property where the beavers have built their dams and
habitat on Ivy Brook. When they have permission, they will tour that area,
Buckley told Szymanski. He said the commission will also speak to its
consultant and involve the Board of Health, which has some jurisdiction when it
comes to beavers. Commissioners could issue a "cease and desist" order
against the property owner, even though he's seemingly unaware of the beaver
problem, Buckley said. "The Conservation Commission has to take some
action and usually it's the land owner. They have have to post no trespass
signs, do something," he said. Also along on the site visit were Town
Engineer Mike Santora and Conservation Commission members Joe Zacchilli and
Michael Giampietro. Szymanski showed photos of when water had rushed
downstream. He recounted how there have been five apparent dam breaks since the
end of last year, including the "bad one" on April 25. "That's a very odd
situation to have basically a flash flood," Buckley said. Prior to last year and
since 1986, Szymanski said, there had only been three incidents. One was during
Hurricane Bob and two others were probably during rainstorms, he said.
Buckley said the commission will talk about the beaver problem when it meets
June 18. Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-634-7521 or
dameden@cnc.com.
A coyote running free at Boston's Logan International Airport briefly forced the
closing of two runways. The Boston Globe reports the animal was killed Wednesday
when it was hit by workers who were using a truck to try to contain it.
The coyote was discovered by grounds crews on Wednesday morning, and the runways
were shut down. Crews in trucks tried to keep the coyote away from the runways
while they contacted animal control officers. But the animal bolted in front of
one of the vehicles. Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Phil
Orlandella says animals rarely get loose on the airport's runways, but it
happens three or four times a year. He said the coyote didn't cause any major
flight delays.
MIDDLEBORO, MA - A brown shadow
swooped in and grabbed Hattie, a seven pound Yorkshire Terrier, by the neck just
yards from where owner Wilfred J. Forcier stood watching. It
was 4 a.m. last Wednesday when Hattie pestered Forcier to go outside. Her timing
was unusual, but Forcier a retired police officer stood at the backdoor of
his Susan Lane home to
keep watch. But within seconds, something had Hattie in its
jaws, and was speeding off into the darkness. Barefoot and in his underwear,
Forcier gave chase, but the animal disappeared into the night with Hattie in its
jaws. It was prancing like a cat with a rat, Forcier said.
All I could think of was getting her away from it. Forcier
resumed searching after getting dressed and putting on his glasses, but he never
found Hatties limp and lifeless body until daylight. While
Forcier never clearly saw the attacker, Laura Hajduk, a biologist at the
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, said it was most likely a coyote. This
time of year is pup-rearing season, and the mother coyote requires more food
than usual, she said. The thing about coyotes, they'll feed
on just about anything," Hajduk said. That includes small animals to insects and
plant matter. A messy bird feeder, an uncovered compost pile or pet food dishes
outside can all serve as a dinner call to wild animals. Coyote populations have been on the
rise in recent years, and Marion Larson, information and education biologist
with Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said that's due largely
to the greater availability of food including pets.
Coyotes are omnivores. Their primary food is fruit, berries, and small rodents.
In suburban areas, they will go after unprotected pets, said Larson. Also,
people should not leave garbage out at night. It provides an all-you-can-eat
buffet for coyotes, rats, and foxes. They should put garbage out in the
morning. For coyote hunter Richard J. Bowen of Bridgewater, Hattie's attacker has all the earmarks of a
coyote. Its got to be a coyote. A coyote can kill a
Yorkshire terrier in one bite, he said. The chances of one
hurting a human are slim, but could happen, he said. While coyotes are still
skittish around humans, Bowen said they are losing their fear of humans because
of carelessness and complacency. Its only a matter of time
before someone gets attacked around here, he predicts. Bowen
said coyotes are powerful opportunist hunters, and while their primary food
consists of small prey frogs, snakes, mice, rabbits, woodchucks, even
grasshoppers homeowners are providing a veritable smorgasbord in their
backyards. Bird feeders, open trash and garbage and house cats all draw a coyote
to a backyard. Although the high school is close to
Wednesdays attack, Hajduk said it doesn't sound like a public safety concern,
explaining there's only been three attacks on humans in the last 60 years.
Coyotes can hunt in a range of nearly 20 square miles, but they are a
territorial creature, and that's where human intervention comes into play.
Hajduk said if a coyote is found in a backyard, try and scare it off by banging
pans, blowing whistles and air horns, even squirting them with a hose or
throwing tennis balls to mark your territory. Don't be
intimidated, she said. Show it this is your territory. They are territorial
animals, so they will understand. But she said children
should be kept away. Teach them coyotes are not dogs and
their pups are not puppies, they're wild animals. Educate kids.
She said the best thing a child can do if they come face to face with a
coyote, open your jacket, put your arms above you head and slowly back away,
maintaining eye contact. If you start to run, the
instinct to follow may kick in, she said.
WEST BOYLSTON, MA - Rebuilding of the trail in Oakdale is under way
(8-28-09) Wachusett Greenways Welcomes Donations to Accelerate Repair.
As you may know, the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) accessible from Thomas
Street in West Boylston westward to the I-190 bridge has been temporarily closed
since early May, when a 25-foot section of the trail washed away due to the
efforts of some industrious beavers. Wachusett Greenways, the Town of
West Boylston and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) have
jointly arrived at a plan to rebuild the damaged trail. This work will include
improvement of the trail from Thomas Street to the washout. This section of
trail has had problems with water collection since it was built in 1997.
We anticipate this work will be completed and the trail reopened in time for
Family Fun Day and the Springdale Mill Celebration, scheduled for Sept. 26.
Though this section of the trail will remain closed until repairs are complete,
all other sections of the trail are open, including the section west of I-190 to
River Street in Holden and on to Manning Street and Route 31. The trail sections
in Sterling and Rutland are also open. And thanks to the tireless efforts
of our volunteer trail crews, nearly all ice storm damage has been cleared from
the trail. Some work remains to chip brush and to remove other debris along the
trail shoulder. We welcome new volunteers to help return the rail trail to its
former beauty. Looking forward, work on a new section of the rail trail,
west of Muddy Pond in Oakham to the Route 122 crossing, is well under way.
We regret the length of time it has taken to repair the washout, but this is a
major undertaking, requiring careful planning to avoid similar problems in the
future. Wachusett Greenways welcomes donations to help defer the cost of
repairs. Contributions can be made directly to Wachusett Greenways online or by
mail, Box 121, Holden 01520. We must raise $12,000 in donor contributions in
addition to the funds which Wachusett Greenways and the Town of West Boylston
have set aside. Please send your generous gift today.
The coyote snatched "Rusty" right off his
leash while he was tied to a mailbox. The shih
tzu's owner said she saw the coyote running down the street with the dog in its
mouth. "I opened the front door and saw the dog
was gone. I looked up and saw a coyote with my dog in its mouth. I started
yelling, and two houses down, saw the dog with blood in middle of street. I must
have scared him away, "said Elyse Quinlan. Rusty
survived and was treated for deep teeth wounds to the stomach, back and neck.
The coyote's first victim on the block wasn't so lucky. Residents think a
pet cat was killed by the animal. "The neighbors
cat, too. They were telling me they found his fur in the other yard," Quinlan
said. Weymouth police said unless a coyote is reported as sick, there's
nothing they can do. The public was advised to stay alert and be careful.
Raynham,
MA - After a gang of coyotes attacked and killed a family dog,
Terry Den Besten, owner of Den Besten Farm on Locust
Street, is taking action."They've started a war and I'll
finish it," he said. Over
the past two years, coyotes have been terrorizing his 30-acre animal
farm, eating cats, young goats, chickens and frightening other animals.
In recent months, the coyotes have become more
aggressive,
jumping four-foot fences into animal pens and entering barns in search of prey.
"They are very bold,"
said the burly former
construction company owner. Wednesday night, about a dozen coyotes ran through
the stable area and the backyard of his
three-story brick house, howling and looking for a meal. Several
family dogs were roaming the backyard when a coyote snatched away
a 9-year-old miniature Doberman pinscher. Den Besten's
wife, Donna, gave chase, yelling in an attempt to scare off the coyotes.
But
a few minutes later the 20-pound dog was found lifeless about 100 yards from the
house lying on a dirt road."It's
kind of scary
with a pack of them," Terry Den Besten said.
"It was like an attack of the wild."
In recent years he has installed sturdier fences
and brought in a donkey, horses and llamas to frighten the coyotes.
When that failed his only recourse, until now,
has been to lock
the animals in barns and sheds at night. But with two young grandchildren living
in his home, Den Besten doesn't want the next
victim to be a human. Armed with night-vision goggles, a .22-caliber hunting
rifle and a battery-powered coyote caller, the retired
Marine intends to make the hunters the hunted. "They
are going to be dealt with, that's for sure,"
he said.After notifying neighbors
- many of them living in recently built houses on land
that was once coyote habitat - and the police
officials, Den Besten intends to
stalk the predators over the next few nights. Biologist Dick Turner, of the
state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said shooting
one of the coyotes may be enough to scare the rest of the pack from going near
humans again. Coyote encounters, he said, are more
frequent this time of year. "This is the breeding
season and when they're the most vocal." And the
sightings are likely to increase.
Over the last 50 years, the coyote population has spread to every community
across the Commonwealth. Raynham Police Chief
Joseph
Pacheco said coyotes weren't in Raynham 20 years ago.
And the attack Wednesday night, he said, was the first time a coyote had entereda building the shed where the goats were kept. Pacheco condoned Den Besten's
plan to kill the coyotes, saying farmers have the
right to kill predators that attack livestock. As a precaution, Pacheco warned
school officials about the aggressive coyotes. At least
two coyotes sighting have been reported at the three Raynham public schools
since September. Although Den Besten's
farm and the schools sit onopposite sides of the heavily traveled Route 24,
Pacheco noted that both properties are part of a wooded area that extends north
to Interstate 495. "Iconcerned for family pets as
well as kids, especially when the weather gets warmer,"
Pacheco said. Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist Laura Hajduk said coyotes are
more of a nuisance than a threat to humans. Only
three reports of coyote bites on
humans have been reported inthe state, she said, and a single fatality occurred
in California in the 1980s. "Its very very rare
they
ever attack people."Her
advice is toavoid coyotes and never feed them. But if the dog-like animals get
too close she suggest banging
pots and pans and making loud noises to remind them of the consequences of
intruding on humans. tfaulkner@tauntongazette.com
Glouster Daily Times online
(http://www.gloucestertimes.com)
By Robert Cann, Staff Writer
February 17, 2009
Essex, MA -
Because of this, she's always kept a close eye on her 10-year-old
greyhound, Charro, when the dog is allowed to roam alone in hergrassy backyard, enclosed by honeysuckle bushes. "Otherwise," said Morser,
86, "I don't think we'd have her today." This
past Saturday around 3 p.m., while Charro was sniffing the grass about 50 yards
behind Morser's home, she saw what she thought were two police dogs moving
toward the dog. She said, since Charro likes other dogs, the greyhound went
toward the animals. When the pair attacked
Charro, Morser instantly recognized that they were coyotes and hollered for her
89-year-old husband Calvin. Morser said she then
"grabbed a pot with a lid and tore out into the backward," clanging the top
against the pot. She had read that doing such a thing would scare away coyotes. She said that, by the time she got outside, Charro and the coyotes
had moved into one of the bushes and that she could no longer see them.
She's not sure if it was her banging the pot and
lid together that scared the coyotes away, but moments after she left her house
Charro began to limp towards her. When Morser and her husband got Charro inside
they discovered their pet had serious cuts and bite marks on its hind legs, back
and abdomen. They called the Gloucester-based Cape Ann Veterinary Hospital, and
the owners, Dr. Jeffrey French and his wife Dr. Barbara Reid, had not gone home
yet. The veterinarians told Morser to bring Charro in immediately. Morser and
her husband wrapped Charro's wounds with a towel and, with a great deal of
effort, lifted the 65-pound dog into the back of their vehicle. At the hospital,
Charro was in surgery for two hours and required between 15 and 20 sutures in
three different areas, French said yesterday. Yesterday, Charro was doing well,
but was being held in quarantine and being monitored for rabies, French said.
Charro was up-to-date on rabies vaccinations at the time of the attack, and was
treated once more when first admitted to the animal hospital. Massachusetts Fish
and Game representatives were unavailable for comment yesterday because of the
holiday. Lt. John Wimsatt, a conservation officer at New Hampshire Fish and
Game, said that rabies isn't as common in coyotes as in raccoons and foxes, but
it can still occur. French also noted that "people often think that largedogs are not targets for coyotes," but that's not the case. Wimsatt said
that attacks by coyotes on domestic animals are uncommon, though it's not rare
for them to attack prey as large a 65-pound greyhound; they often hunt whitetail
deer. Wimsatt said that such an attack was unusual and that it likely wouldn't
happen again. "The public doesn't need to be overly alarmed," said Wimsatt.
"Take normal precautions with your pets and keep your eyes on them when they're
outside." Wimsatt added, however, that animal control officers should be
notified in case of an attack. French, who said that "people are getting used to
seeing them all the time," added that he planned to contact Gloucester's Animal
Control Department when it opened today. In that
vein, a Rockport man had one of his golden retrievers
tackled by a coyote in December after the wild animal chased his second
golden retriever from the edge of the woods where it was sniffing, unleashed.
The man and his wife yelled at the coyote and it ran away. That dog was not
brought to the vet, and French noted that there have not been any animals
brought
in recently as a result of coyote attacks. Another Rockport couple, however,
lost their cat to coyotes last July. "Animals like this do present circumstances
that can alarm residents," said Wimsatt. "Just use good common sense when taking
care of your pets." Robert Cann can be reached at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com
Milford, MA - The Milford Police Department is warning residents to keep an eye on
their small pets in light of a recent attack by what was believed to
be coyotes.
A resident of Todd Drive reported to police
on Sunday that their family pet, a beagle terrier, had been attacked
in their yard late Saturday night. The homeowner told police they
heard a commotion and a dog yelping and, upon looking outside, they
observed what they believed to be coyotes attacking their dog. The dog was taken to Shoreline Animal Clinic for treatment of
injuries sustained during the attack, and after bringing the dog
home, it died this morning. Police conducted a neighborhood survey and learned that coyotes
have been seen in the area over the past two weeks.Police have contacted the Milford Animal
Control Division and the Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) regarding the incident. Police advise that residents do not
leave their pets outside unattended and refrain from feeding wild
animals, including spreading bird seed. If residents spot a coyote they should contact the DEP, Wild Life
Division at (860) 424-3011. For tips about coyotes, refer to the DEP
Web site ct.gov/DEP. In the event a coyote is acting aggressively, call your local
police department immediately, police said in a prepared statement.Police can be reached at 878-6551.
Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-634-7521 or
dameden@cnc.com.
MILFORD,
MA -Steve
Lemoine never wants to see a fox again. Ever.He's lost
his love for the wild animal after having to stomp a rabid red fox to death on
Monday when it attacked him outside his Milford
office. The 50-year-old Rhode
Island man said he fell prey while
taking a cigarette break at BirchwoodBusinessPark,
where he works for the environmental engineering company Norfolk Ram. He
counts himself lucky to be OK."A fox just came running out of nowhere and bit me
in the leg," he said. "I kicked it away and it came back and bit me in the leg
again and wouldn't let go. It was pretty scary." The incident led his
co-workers to carry around sticks and ski poles yesterday, fearing another
attack. Public Health Director Paul Mazzuchelli yesterday said rabies is
not unusual in town, but it's uncommon for a person to be attacked. The best
preventative advice, he said, is for people to assume that any wild animal is
rabid. "Even though they may look cute or cuddly, stay away," he advised.
In Lemoine's case, the ferocious young fox bit through his jeans, and left tooth
and claw marks on the front of his left leg. After Lemoine kicked the fox
away and it latched back onto his leg, he said he used his Boy Scout skills and
reacted, suspecting it was rabid. "I said, you're dead buddy - you're
dead," he recalled. He stomped on the animal's throat with steel-toed work
shoes, and stayed put for about 20 minutes, he recalled, while waiting for
co-workers to help. When a couple of colleagues drove by in a truck, they
got him a sledgehammer that he used to hit the fox on the head to make sure it
was dead. After Lemoine killed the animal, he said he put the carcass in a
cooler, which the Animal Control Department later picked up. Tests came
back positive yesterday from the state's rabies testing lab in Jamaica Plain,
confirming the fox had rabies, Mazzuchelli said. Lemoine, who lives in
Cumberland,
R.I.,
said he drove himself to MilfordRegionalMedicalCenter
on Monday to get seven rabies shots and a tetanus booster. He still needs
four more booster shots on a specified schedule. Knowing the disease is
fatal, he wanted to get treatment even though his wounds seemed superficial.
"Rabies is a serious thing - you've got to watch out," he said.
Mazzuchelli said Lemoine reacted the right way by seeking prompt medical
attention. For residents who are concerned about rabid animals,
Mazzuchelli noted it's important that people not leave food outside their homes.
And as a first line of defense, he said people also need to keep their pets
vaccinated. The Board of Health offers a rabies clinic every April.
Lemoine, who enjoys hunting for ducks and deer, said he doesn't regret killing
the fox - but at around 20 pounds, it was "big enough." "I wouldn't want
to tangle with one that was bigger." During the attack, Lemoine remained
calm, said co-worker Nate Gardner, a geologist at Norfolk Ram who came across
it. "I wouldn't have known what to do, and he knew right what to do."
As for the attack, "It's an act of nature," Lemoine said, but it had a real
impact on him."I used to like foxes," he said. "I
don't like them now."
LEXINGTON, MA - A brook flooded an area
in north Lexington
off Bedford Street
during recent torrential rains, threatening to gush into the sewer system and
cause overflows of raw sewage. The problem: An enterprising beaver was
constructing a dam. The solution: The beaver was trapped and killed.
Beavers like the 50-pound male trapped last month are the stuff of suburban
legend, as the furry rodents migrate into congested neighborhoods and dam up
brooks and streams. "I think one of the things people need to remember is
we don't really have predators that control beaver any more, such as wolves, so
they're not being killed naturally," said Patricia Huckery, northeast district
manager for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. "The only
option is management." Wildlife management can mean extermination, but
there are other options under the law that have been used in the western
suburbs. State officials recommend relieving flooding caused by beavers by
breaching their dams. One technique includes fencing that impedes reentry to the
area and rerouting water flow underground or through pipes so the beaver cannot
hear the tinkling, running-water sound that attracts them to a site to build a
dam. Or residents can take the wetlands attitude to leave it to beaver. Along
with Lexington,
Concord
and Bedford
have had enterprising beaver populations in recent months. Sometimes the animals
are welcomed, but other times not, as they cause flooding that can become a
public health problem or inflict property damage. Stanley J. Sosnicki,
Concord's environmental health inspector, said while
beavers can be a nuisance, many residents have learned to live with them.
"I'd say they're a net plus," Sosnicki said. "Most people around here are used
to wildlife, and they tend to respect them." On the plus side, beavers
create wetlands by damming streams and forming shallow ponds. The wetlands
provide a habitat for diverse plants and animals, such as deer, bats, otter,
herons, waterfowl, songbirds, salamanders, turtles, frogs, and fish. The
wetlands also control downstream flooding by storing and slowly releasing storm
water. They also remove excess nutrients, toxic chemicals, and sediment, and can
recharge groundwater. This is no solace to the homeowner with a flooded
basement or the school child trying to navigate a street flowing with raw
sewage. The problem in Lexington
occurred off busy Bedford Street
between Ivan Street
and Hadley Road.
The beaver dam on Simonds Brook had caused water to run to the tops of sewer
manholes. John Livsey, the town engineer, said while the flooding did not
overwhelm the sewer system, it could have if action had not been taken. The town
hired a licensed trapper, who snagged the beaver on Dec. 24. Bedford
did the same, issuing a permit earlier this month to a trapper to catch a beaver
on Veterans Administration property, according to Bedford's health agent and inspector, Joseph W. Knotts,
who said he issued seven such permits in 2008. In Concord, a beaver dam flooded the area last summer where
the Police and Fire Departments are located, as well as the neighborhood across
the street. In that case, the beavers were trapped and killed, and the dam
removed, Sosnicki said. But neighbors living on Spencer Brook Road have decided to leave alone the
beavers that periodically build dams on Spencer Brook and flood the area, he
said. Sosnicki said he issued three or four permits last year, and
believes the beaver population is growing. "We're seeing more and more of them,"
he said. "The area's just conducive to beavers. We have a lot of wet areas." No one knows for sure how many beavers there are across the state or whether
their numbers are growing or shrinking, according to Laura Hajduk, the state
wildlife agency's furbearer biologist. Because of overzealous hunting,
beavers were absent from Massachusetts from the late 1700s to the early 1900s,
when they started making a comeback after farmers abandoned their fields for
city jobs or moved to more fertile ground in the Midwest, according to the state
wildlife agency's website. By the early 1990s, the beaver population
statewide was estimated at a little more than 22,000. In 1996, voters
passed a ballot question banning leghold traps, deemed to cause pain to snared
animals, and the beaver population soared to an estimated 70,000. And
then, in 2001, another law went into effect that gave local health boards - and
not the state wildlife agency - jurisdiction over emergency licenses to trap
animals considered a public health threat or cause of severe property
damage. While hunters had been reporting their harvests to the state wildlife
agency, now there is no way to keep track of how many are killed, Hajduk said.
Still, beavers are likely to continue to venture into suburban living until the
habitat becomes too developed. For instance, Christine Connolly Sharkey,
director of Health and Human Services in
Arlington, said she has heard no reports of beavers in
town since she started working there in 2000. Donna Moultrop, Belmont's health director, said the only beaver report
there in recent memory turned out to be an unfounded rumor.
HOLLISTON, MA - The Board of Health has issued an
emergency permit for a Cross Street company to use lethal traps to remove
beavers whose dam may threaten the building's fire suppression system.The permit gives Avery Dennison Co. 10 days from last Thursday to trap
the beavers, said Board of Health Chairwoman Anita Ballesteros.The board gave the office product distributor a previous permit to remove
the animals in October. The company did so, but the beavers returned, and so did
the problems, Ballesteros said.Last fall, a
company representative told the board a dam had raised the level of Chicken
Brook within an inch of a bridge used to access the facility.Behind the dam, stagnant water backed up, full of debris that could clog
a sprinkler system that pumps water directly from the brook in the case of a
fire, the company said in October. Holliston Fire Chief Michael Cassidy
called the problem a safety hazard. While the board would prefer different traps
be used, worries about the fire system spurred its members to issue the permit,
Ballesteros said. "We are concerned because this relates to the fire suppression
system," she said. "If there were, God forbid, a fire, and anyone was hurt or
killed in the fire, it was left on our heads."Regardless of what traps are used,
beavers that are caught are killed. With beaver problems all over Massachusetts,
the
BayState
does not generally allow the animals to be moved elsewhere. Under the first
permit, traps would catch beavers and they would later be euthanized. The new
permit allows traps that actually kill the animals. Ballesteros was unsure how
exactly the traps work. Board member Richard Maccagnano had opposed lethal
traps because he said other animals could be caught in them. Ballesteros said it
is sometimes difficult to set aside personal convictions, but the Board of
Health's charge is to safeguard public health and safety.This is not the first time Holliston has grappled with beaver problems.
In summer 2007, after attempts to find alternatives, the Conservation Commission
gave the go-ahead to trap and kill beavers in Bogastow Brook. The animals
had caused flooding near one of the town's drinking water wells. State officials
warned the town that the potential for parasites to get into the water posed an
immediate threat. The state has a regulated beaver trapping season. Avery
Dennison needed a first permit in October because that season had not yet begun.
The season started Nov. 1, but a permit is required any time a lethal trap is
used. A contractor hired by Avery Dennison only uses lethal traps,
Ballesteros said. With the holidays approaching, it seemed unlikely Avery
Dennison could find another contractor right away, so the board acted to make
sure the company could address the potential safety problem. If the
emergency permit expires before beavers have been killed, Ballesteros said she
will ask the company to consider other trapping methods."Nobody really wants to
use those traps," she said.
(David Riley can be
reached at 508-626-3919 or driley@cnc.com.)
BEVERLY,
MA - A Beverly police officer said he gunned his cruiser
between a woman and a rapidly charging coyote to prevent the animal from
attacking her in St. Mary's Cemetery two weeks ago.
Patrolman Gene Bettencourt said he grabbed the woman
and got her safely into her van as the coyote ran off into the woods."If I wasn't there, who knows what that thing
would've done to that lady," he said.
Police say the city's animal services department
trapped an 80-pound coyote in the cemetery last Friday and had the animal
euthanized by a veterinarian. Patrolman John McCarthy, the department spokesman,
said police can't be certain it was the same coyote, but there have been no
reports of coyotes in the area since then."If somebody does see one, call us at the station,"
McCarthy said.Bettencourt said he was on routine patrol in St.
Mary's Cemetery on Nov. 15 when a man walking his dog told him he saw a "huge
animal" on the hill at the back of the Brimbal Avenue cemetery. When Bettencourt
drove up the hill, "I couldn't believe my eyes," he said."It almost looked like a wolf," he said.As Bettencourt called the police station to report
the coyote sighting, a woman got out of a green van and walked toward a
gravestone. The coyote then took off and started running toward the woman, he
said."I said to the dispatcher, 'I gotta go. The coyote's
charging a lady.' I drove my Charger to cut it off. I jumped out and grabbed the
lady and got her back in her van. She took off, and the coyote bolted into the
wooded area."Bettencourt said the coyote stopped about 40 to 50
feet away when he pulled his cruiser in front of the woman.After the incident, the city's animal services
department planted a trap that is designed to pull a leash around an animal's
neck as it is feeding. Last Friday, Bettencourt found a coyote caught in the
trap in the cemetery, unhurt. McCarthy said the coyote was taken to a veterinarian
and euthanized.Beverly Animal Services Officer James Lindley said
coyotes are known to attack cats and small dogs but rarely pose a threat to
humans."The way it charged that woman is not ordinary," he
said.Lindley said he doubted the coyote had rabies because
a rabid animal would stand its ground and fight instead of fleeing.Lindley said he and police have fielded many calls
regarding coyote sightings in recent weeks. He said there has been a group of
seven coyotes in the Sohier Road area and two or three more around St. Mary's
Cemetery, but it's difficult to know exactly how many are in the city."It's really hard to put a count on them," he said.
"They cover so much territory."According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries
and Wildlife Web site, the eastern coyote moved into the central and western
regions of Massachusetts in the 1950s and now lives in every town in
Massachusetts, except on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.Coyotes can reach weights of 50 to 60 pounds, but
their weight can be easily overestimated because of their thick fur, according
to the Web site. Dogs, red foxes and gray foxesare often mistaken for coyotes.The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
and the Massachusetts Environmental Police Department are assisting Lindley in
monitoring the situation, he said. Anyone who spots a coyote should call police
at 978-922-1212.
Massachusetts statewide
issue - The proliferation of beavers in Massachusetts since many commonly used
traps were banned in 1997 not only has led to flooded roadways, fields and
yards, but has also helped an alarming spread of a foreign weed, which is
choking out native plants and destroying wildlife habitat, according to a
wetlands specialist.Glenn E. Krevosky, owner of
EBT Environmental Consultants Inc. of Oxford, said that in six years of
research, he has found a strong correlation between beavers and the spread of
purple loosestrife, an invasive, nonnative plant. "As the beaver builds its dam
and floods a meadow or wetland, native plants are killed. When the beavers move
out, the dam disintegrates, and there is a virgin area. Purple loosestrife loves
a virgin area. It quickly fills the entire area, which becomes a monoculture, a
field of nothing but purple loosestrife," he said.Even where there are no beavers, an ever-increasing quantity of the tall
pinkish-purple flower spikes can be seen growing in or near wetlands across the
state. "It's taking over. It excludes native plants. Entire valleys in
Pennsylvania are taken over by it. It's a true scourge, the biggest invasive
plant we have," he said.Uxbridge High School
science teacher David S. Worden, who has been using a nonnative beetle to fight
the weed in his community, said that Mr. Krevosky's theory about the connection
between beavers and purple loosestrife sounded correct. "Purple loosestrife will
start to grow in a wetland area. It has thick stems that take a lot of time to
deteriorate. The stems stand tall and catch silt, which piles up and eventually
becomes land, changing wetland to land. This plant can change an ecosystem and
destroy biodiversity," he said.Mr. Krevosky,
who specializes in wetlands replication, said he tries to promote "shrub swamp"
replication as often as possible, since shrubs or trees "shade out purple
loosestrife."
By Justine Judge
A potentially rabid fox is causing concern in a West Springfield neighborhood.
The animal has bitten or scratched at least three
people and is still on the loose.
CBS 3 Springfield
Story Published: Nov 16, 2008 at 5:49 PM EST
Story Updated: Nov 17, 2008 at 12:12 PM EST
There's not a soul in sight in the
neighborhood surrounding the John Ashley School in West Springfield.
Most are staying
inside for fear of an encounter with what many are saying is a rabid gray
fox whose sunk its teeth into at least four people.
Robert Pettengill is one of them. He told us "It felt
like something just hit me in the back of the leg because it came from
behind me and then I looked at it and was startled by it and then took off
running and kicking it off me."Pettengill was the animal's third victim on Friday.
Just a few minutes earlier, it attacked two kindergarten students on the
Ashley school playground.Avory MacGrath was on the swing set when the animal
came running out of the woods, ripped her shoe off and then ran away. But,
it came back.Avory said "It bit another girl", who didn't
fair as well as Avory. Witnesses say the animal latched onto the other
girl's thigh.Pettengill didn't escape unscathed either. The
animal clawed into his leg and sent him to the hospital. Pettengill said "I had six shots Friday night and I'm
still kind of sore from those but I have to go back Monday and get another
set and then I have three more after that."The animal also jumped onto the porch of a home on
Althea Street where it attackedsomeone else. Environmental Police say the animal is
still on the loose. So for now, everyone is looking over their shoulders for
an animal most believe to be a gray fox.MacGrath said "It looked like a husky but smaller with
a long tail."Pettengill said "It looked like a fox more than
a fisher cat because detectives came and showed me pictures of both and I
saw it as a fox."Officials do want to point out that if in fact
the animal is rabid, chances are it will die within a few days if it's not
found before then.But neighbors should still keep their children
and pets inside.
Photographer Daniel Keefe captured this fisher outside a Durham,
N.H., home in 2003. It was attracted to a suet cage. (Daniel M.
Keefe)
By James O'Brien Globe Correspondent
/ October
16, 2008
The fishers are coming -
or so they say.
Earlier this year, an increase
in sightings of the elusive animal in this area - including at least two
reported attacks in Lexington - prompted wildlife officials to urge pet
owners not to let their dogs and cats run free.
That advice still stands, and now officials at the state Division of
Fisheries and Wildlife say they are anticipating a record-setting number
of captured fishers next month during trapping season for the
carnivorous relative of the weasel.Last year's was the second-highest fisher harvest on record, with
486 animals captured between Nov. 1 and Nov. 22. The year before,
trappers nabbed 582. The state has kept such numbers since 1973,
officials say, and has seen a steady increase in the number of animals
caught."Clearly, the population seems
to be growing," said Lisa Capone, spokeswoman for the state Executive
Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.Researchers at the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, or
MassWildlife, say it appears the fisher, like a number of other wild
animals such as bear and coyote, has also become more comfortable in
urban settings."From studying reports
and trappings, we can say that they have greatly expanded their range,"
said MassWildlife furbearer biologist Laura Hajduk. "In areas closer to
Boston, they haven't been found there for very long."While the fisher normally eats rodents and small game like
rabbits, Hajduk, whose agency receives one to two calls per week for
fisher sightings statewide, said kitchen garbage and outdoor pets
represent an attractive alternative.
"The way we have suburban areas set up - we like private areas, little
wooded areas - we provide cover for animals, and then we create a nice
artificial food source," she said.Marj
Rines, a Living With Wildlife hotline naturalist with the Massachusetts
Audubon Society, said she has had more calls about fishers in Eastern
Massachusetts over the past two years.
Residents in Medford and Woburn have reported run-ins with the fisher,
according to the organization. The animal has also been spotted in
Billerica, Chelmsford, and Wilmington, as well as Derry and Hollis in
New Hampshire, said New Hampshire wildlife photographer Daniel M. Keefe,
who has captured close-up images of the animal. Chelmsford animal
control officer Erik Merrill said he received 15 to 20 fisher complaints
in his area this spring.In March, a
Lexington woman reported that a fisher dragged off her dog shortly after
a neighbor spotted the animal and another neighbor reported that fishers
had killed her cats."Usually when we
have one attack, we have many," said Krista M. Vernaleken, a senior
veterinary associate at the Bulger Animal Hospital in North Andover.
"Owners who keep their pets indoors are very well aware of fishers -
that's why they keep them indoors. Those who let them out don't
understand the risk."Vernaleken said
outdoor cats are the most likely among domesticated animals to tangle
with the fisher, and the results are usually ugly. "They're typically
pretty aggressive attacks," she said. "Large wounds, tearing of the
skin. They are much more aggressive attacks than another animal would
be."Long and low, the adult fisher
typically weighs 16 pounds, according to MassWildlife, and can grow up
to 3 feet, tip to tail. It hunts with retractable claws and a mouth
lined with razor-sharp teeth, and its high-pitched screech is its
hallmark. They are prized by some for their soft brown pelts.The creature faced extermination in the Northeast in the 1800s,
according to Mass Audubon, as unregulated logging deforested its natural
habitat. Its comeback, starting in the 1950s, is also due to logging
companies, who used fishers to control porcupines that eat tree
seedlings.Negative rumors about fishers
abound, according to Hajduk, despite its role in helping to control
rodents in the wild. "A lot of people think it's out there to attack
everything," she said. "That they're vicious, voracious predators."Merrill said he understands the fisher's nasty reputation.
"They're pretty ferocious," he said. "They've gone into chicken coops
and killed five or six of them. They kind of get into a frenzy. We had
one that tore into a rabbit hut. It was sitting there, eating the
rabbit. I wouldn't want to corner one and try to get it out."Hajduk said keeping family pets safe from fishers requires only
common sense. "We advocate people should keep pets supervised and, when
not, keep them indoors," she said. "Don't let your pet roam free."MassWildlife Central District manager William J. Davis offered
additional advice: "Common sense dictates the proper course of action,
including not putting trash out until the morning of pickup, not
providing artificial food sources like bird feeders."Keefe uses just such a feeder - a suet cage - to capture his
close-up shots of fishers. On his website are dozens of stories about
the fisher - some warnings and some defending the animal."Last December, we had one here running in the field," Keefe said
from his home in Durham, N.H. "We had our dog out at night, and we
yelled at [the fisher], but it would come closer instead of running
away. It made an ungodly screeching noise. It made your hair stand up."In Lexington, resident Beth J. Masterman, who lives on wooded
Philbrook Terrace abutting conservation land, said she lost her
Yorkshire terrier puppy, Ziggy, in March to a fisher that dragged him
into the foliage.She said better
information could prevent similar tragedies."We need to know more, sooner," she said. "Maybe animal control
officers ought to be used a month before the danger begins, not after."Hajduk said information about fishers and how to minimize contact
with the animal is always available."We
have a lot of this information on our website, and it is easily
accessible to the public," she said. "And we invite people to call us."
Bolton MA - Beavers are
skilled dam builders; their lives depend on it. They spend 80 percent of
their time in their ponds, from which they access their lodges. But it
is not unprecedented for an active beaver dam to fail. Even beavers cant
anticipate a 25 or 50-year storm.There are situations where beaver dams have
let go apparently without human intervention and have caused significant
damage, said Bill Davis, central district manager for the Massachusetts
Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. Beavers are
excellent engineers but not 100 percent foolproof.Town officials are convinced a failed beaver dam on private
property caused a washout on Forbush Mill Road about a month ago and
twice previously over the last few years. Public
Works Director Harold Brown and Conservation Administrator Carol Gumbart
disagree with resident Patricia Huckery, who is MassWildlife northeast
district manager, that sand and gravel removal from a nearby hillside
somehow weakened the dams underpinnings, because the dam is upstream and
behind the hill. So after spending nearly $10,000 to fix Forbush Mill
Road and watching Hurricane Hanna dump five inches of rainfall on the
estimated eight-acre, 8- to 10-year-old beaver pond in the Hansen
conservation area, it was not a stretch for Brown and Gumbart to think
there was an imminent downstream threat to Green Road. Gumbart ordered a
small emergency breach at the side of the dam to relieve the water
pressure. Unfortunately,
its against state law to tamper with a beaver dam in an emergency
without a permit from the local Board of Health. Emergency
permits allow three options: breach the dam, install a flow device
and/or trap the beavers. Gumbart admitted she should have gotten the
permit first. But since the Conservation Commission has to authorize
actions that affect the wetlands, she was half right. Paperwork to
obtain an after-the-fact breach permit is now in process, Gumbart said.Technically, consent is also required from
an abutting private landowner, the Bundys on Vaughn Hill Road. Jeanette
Bundy was unaware of the dam drama, but said that she does'nt want the
beavers messed with. Gumbart said the paperwork is in their hands.Board of Health Chairman Mark Sprague is aware of
the dam breach and is not inclined to be punitive because he understands
it was well intended. But next time, those responsible will get their
hands slapped, he said. He is considering writing a reprimand for the
record.You have to draw a line on what's a
reasonable level of hazard, Sprague said. Normally, when an emergency
permit comes in, we would hold a hearing on it. And everyone involved
could chime in with opinions.There is a legal beaver-trapping season from Nov.
1 to April 15 when licensed trappers may use permissible box or
cage-style live traps. Leg-hold and body-grabbing conibear traps were
outlawed by Massachusetts voters in 1996 because they can cause slow,
painful deaths. Since then, the 18,000 beaver census is estimated to
have tripled, according to the MassWildlife Web site. Its against state law to trap and relocate beavers and other
wild animals.The Board of Health usually presides over
out-of-season emergency permits when applicants want to trap and
eliminate the animals because upstream flooding is encroaching on
basements, drinking wells and septic systems on private property. That's
what happened on Corn Road and Main Street, near the Historical Society,
in 2005. A potential downstream threat is less common.In the last few weeks, the lack of
regulatory process seems to have created a free-for-all at the Hansen
dam. Locals who feared for the beavers when the breach lowered the water
level patched up the gap.How are we to know if the beavers are taking care of the dam if
people are doing it for them? Gumbart said.Sprague said it appeared that well-meaning people
were working at cross-purposes. Ironically, the Conservation Commission
alone has the authority to install a water flow device in a beaver pond
to maintain the integrity of a wetland or protect habitat in town-owned
conservation land when there is no threat to public health or safety,
according to Davis at MassWildlife. To
that end, Gumbart brought in Michael Callahan of Southampton-based
Beaver Solutions Sept. 18 to assess the Hansen dam. In a Sept. 28
letter, he wrote that older dams and larger ponds, like Hansen, are more
likely to fail catastrophically, but its rare. He saw that the beavers
are actively maintaining the dam and there was no evidence that a
catastrophic breach was imminent. His consultation cost $125.If the beavers stay, Callahan recommended
reducing the pond impoundment one foot with a water flow device and/or
replacing the nearby 12-inch Green Road culvert with a larger pipe to
handle unexpected water events. He also recommended quarterly dam
inspections. His solution would cost $1,620 including one year of
maintenance.Brown said the engineering to accommodate a
24-inch pipe would mean raising Green Road drastically or building a
cement box culvert. In ether case, there should be at least a foot of
clearance between the road and culvert to prevent frost heaves, he said,
potentially a $60,000 to $70,000 job.Gumbart said that water flow devices had been used
successfully at the Bower Springs and Fyfeshire conservation areas. She
will continue to monitor both the Forbush Mill and Hansen beaver dam
situations while keeping stakeholders apprised.
Brown
said he is keeping an eye on the Forbush Mill Road dam but leaving the
Hansen dam to the Conservation Commission. He does not have a lot of
confidence in mud and stick dams.
Green Road for me is off limits, Brown said. It will blow out; I
know it will.
COLRAIN, MA -
A surge of possibly contaminated water rushed down the Green River, raising the
water level by about 3 feet and causing road damage and closures after a beaver
dam in Colrain broke Saturday morning, said Fire Chief David V. Celino.
The 6-foot-tall dam that broke
held back 3 or 4 acres of heavily silted water, he said, which could have
harmfully high bacteria levels. 'It was a solid wave of mud,' said Celino. Apart
from light-to-moderate road damage to West Leyden Road, Cromack Lane and Fort
Lucas Road, the major concern, he said 'is what kind of bacteria was in that
water.'The torrent nearly washed out a road culvert and eroded
the shoulders of affected roadways.The Department of Public Works was unavailable for comment
on the safety of the Green River. The filter beds in the river, a water source
for Greenfield, were shut down, firefighters said.Paul Moyer III, who owns agricultural land on West
Leyden Road in Colrain, said his fields were inundated with water, which rose to
over three feet in places, before receding.
Firefighters stationed at Camp
Kee-Wanee in Greenfield at the Wormtown Music Festival on Saturday noticed a
darkening of the river's color, but no noticeable surge. As of Saturday evening, there were closures on Fort Lucas
Road, firefighters said.
CHARLTON,
MA - George Butz of 23 Gillespie Road went before selectmen last
night for an answer to a problem that began for him about six years ago beavers.
I have water in my backyard constantly. I have water in my basement. I spent
over $8,000 out of my pocket to increase the height of my backyard. We are
seeking the towns help with these creatures, he said.
When
beavers first caused a problem on this property, Mr. Butz hired a trapper, which
helped for a few years. But now they are back.
Selectman Kathleen W. Walker and highway foreman Gerry
Foskett joined Wildlife Committee members yesterday to inspect the affected
area. Beavers blocked a culvert behind McDonalds on Route 20 and built a dam
about 100 yards upstream. Although the rising water affects Mr. Butz, the
dam is located on someone else's private property. The owner of that
land was not established before the meeting. The dams are not on my
property; the water is. "Its not a town problem but we don't know what
else to do with it, Mr. Butz said. Karen Ogden of the Wildlife Committee
recommended the installation of flow devices in the dam and culvert, noting
the process has been successful in other problem areas.
Who will assume the cost remains a question. Mr. Foskett told the
board the highway department cannot expend town funds to assist Mr. Butz
unless there is a negative impact on the public roadway, which there is not.
We are required by law not to spend town funds on private property unless
there is imminent danger, Selectman Peter J. Boria said. Mr. Boria
recommended the Wildlife Committee seek to establish a nonprofit
organization to build and manage funds to help residents mitigate beaver
issues in the future.
For now, the board asked Ms. Ogden to obtain an
estimate to install the flow devices. The plan and associated
costs for the dam will be presented to the landowner, when identified.
If the landowner does not agree to install a flow device, the issue will
return to the board to consider intervention.
Weymouth,
MA - Carol Roberts tried to keep her
five-year-old male tiger cat Rainbow indoors after hearing reports about
coyotes snatching felines from her Whitmans Pond neighbors, but he managed
to slip outside late Saturday night.
Roberts hoped for Rainbow to come home until a neighbor found his
dismembered remains in a vacant lot on
Lakeshore Drive. We now have five confirmed
cat deaths, Roberts said in her Intervale Road living room on Monday.
There are two other neighborhood cats that are missing.
Lakeshore Drive resident Theresa Prevost suspects her black and brown
colored cat Puzz-Puzz was captured by a coyote six weeks ago after it failed
to come home. My cat is the second cat to disappear, Prevost said.
Neighbors believe coyotes are responsible for the five cat deaths and
disappearances of two felines near Whitmans during the past six weeks.
We've seen coyotes, said Leighann Zemp while she took a stroll with her pet
chihuahua on Lakeshore Drive.
Weve had heard people say they have seen coyotes walking down the middle of
the street. Prevost said a neighbor noticed a coyote outside Zemps
home several nights ago and that it seemed unfazed by the residents
presence. When the coyote spotted the person, it did not even move.
she said. State wildlife officials report coyotes tend to avoid humans but
it will visit neighborhoods if it locates food sources such as unsecured
garbage or unattended pets. Experts advise residents to not leave any
food or pets unattended in their yards. Coyotes are usually active
between dusk and dawn. The animal generally has gray-black fur and
resembles a medium-size dog. Webb Street
resident Michael Wallace said he saw a coyote cross the street in his
neighborhood at 9:30 p.m. on July 31. We have two missing cat signs
posted on Webb Street,
Wallace said while he listened to music in his car near Whitmans Pond on
Monday. Im not sure if coyotes got the cats, but they are missing.
Prevost said a neighbor tried to prevent a coyote from snatching a cat by
firing a BB rifle at the animal. It had no effect, she said.
Lakeshore Drive resident Margaret Ehlel said she plans to keep her newly
adopted kitten Cuddles, an orange and white tabby, indoors to keep it safe.
I just adopted her a week ago, Ehlel said. She said neighbors have
tried contacting David Curtin, a part-time animal control officer without
success. I know there have been budget cutbacks, Ehlel said. But
this should take a priority. We need to do something about this it is not
right. Curtin said state law prohibits police from destroying nuisance
coyotes unless the animal has attacked a human or is in the act of snatching
a pet or has rabies. If you have a problem with a skunk or raccoon,
you can hire a trapper, he said on Tuesday. But you cant do that with a
coyote which is a bigger headache. Curtin said he receives complaints
about coyotes regularly from residents. I've received calls about
coyotes from people who live up near FairlawnCemetery,
he said. I think there might be a den of coyotes that live up near there.
Coyotes have been seen all over the town. Wildlife officials credit
the animals scavenger appetite for its ability to thrive in urban towns.
A News reporter has seen coyotes on three occasions near the SouthShorePlaza during the past few
years. The feral cat population is being reduced by coyotes, Curtin
said. State authorities don't consider coyote attacks on pets as
legal reasons to destroy the animal because the creature is a protected
furbearer species. The state allows only one month out of the year to
hunt coyotes, Curtin said. He said pet owners should keep their cat or
dog indoors two hours before dawn and dusk because coyotes tend to be more
active at night while searching for prey. People will get mad when I
tell them to keep their cat indoors, he said. But they would not let their
cat outside in a blizzard. Prevost said she fears that the coyotes
will become bolder and eventually attack a small child. We have a lot
of small kids in the neighborhood, Prevost said. We don't know if the
coyotes felt threatened that they would attack a child. Curtin said
residents can discourage coyotes from visiting their neighborhood by keeping
garbage secured and removing food scraps from barbecue grills. Coyotes
are attracted to peoples backyards when they don't clean their grill or
leave food on the ground, he said. Coyotes tend to be afraid of human
contact, and wildlife officials say people can frighten the animal from
their neighborhood by yelling or aiming water from a garden hose in its
direction. I've seen coyotes in my backyard, Curtin said. When I see
one, I use an air horn to scare it away.
The
Maple Brook Alpaca Farm on East Mountain road is the only one of it's
kind in the Bay State. And it's home to a very expensive animal.
WESTFIELD, MA - "He's
got one that's almost one million dollars," says Westfield's animal
control officer, Ken Frazier.
The lovable llama looking creatures are under a severe threat. The
abundance of coyotes are taking its toll on all parts of
Western Mass, but have recently honed in on one Westfield alpaca farm.
"The only thing that was left on two of those animals
was the fur. The other one, the only thing left was the ear," Frazier
says. Frazier says the coyote population is so highbecause the eating is so good. "The rabbits have come back, the squirrel
population have come back, so a lot of that has
to do with the coyote population," he says. While coyotes often travel
in packs and usually stay up near the woods, everyone,even city residents, need to be on guard. "I've seen them walking down
the middle of Maple Street. If they're hungry, they'll
take down a pet. It has happened, and it will happen again," Frazier
promises.Frazier can't really say
exactly how many coyotes are in our area, but officials do know there
are many, and that's why hunting
season on the animals has been extended.
The Telegram &
Gazette, (Worcester) July 31st, 2008
Byline: Susan Nest
SHREWSBURY,
MA - While Leona Pease has had
her hands full this past week dealing with loose dogs (see police log, page 2),
a recent animal incident resulted in the first positive rabies report since she
became
Shrewsbury's animal control
officer six years ago.No domestic animal has ever tested positive for rabies in
Shrewsbury,
though raccoons, bats, skunks, though not many in recent years, and a red fox
and a feral kitten, in the early 1990s - have all tested positive, according to
Animal Inspector Bob Moore.On June 20, a raccoon attacked a dog near LakeQuinsigamond.The dog, which received a minor scratch from the
raccoon, was up-to-date on its rabies shots, but was given a booster shot,
according to Moore."With any inoculation, there's always the slightest
chance of failure," Pease said. "It's always a good idea to get an animal
checked after any altercation with a wild or domestic animal and get the vet's
opinion if it should be re-inoculated."After the incident with the dog, the raccoon swam
across the cove and went after a toy poodle.The owner was attempting to keep the raccoon away
from the dog with a shovel when a neighbor told him the raccoon was not
exhibiting normal behavior and might be rabid.At that point, the man killed the raccoon with the
shovel.While there was no contact between the animals, "we
treated it as if there was contact," Pease said. "The owner brought (the dog) to
the vet and it was re-inoculated."Both dogs were placed on a 45-day quarantine to
make sure they are healthy. The in-house quarantine with minimal exposure to
people will end on Aug. 4, said Moore, who added that it can take up to 45 days
to ensure an animal doesn't have rabies.The raccoon was also brought to a vet's office
where its head was cut off and then sent to the State Laboratory Institute in
Jamaica Plain for testing."The Health Department is responsible for getting
(the specimen) to the state lab," said Board of Health Director Nancy Allen. "If
it involves a human, or domestic animal or pet, we put all our efforts into
getting that animal and getting it tested."The criteria for having an animal suspected of
having rabies, tested at the state lab, is if it has had contact with a human or
domestic animal.If there has been contact and the police kill the animal,
they must be careful not to damage its head.Rabies is a "fairly fragile virus that only appears
in brain tissue," Allen said.The animal would be sent either to the NorthboroAnimalHospital,
or Tufts, where the head would be packed in ice or dry ice and then sent by
courier to the state lab.If there has been no contact, the police would kill the
animal and then advise that the animal be buried.One of the signs an animal has rabies is it will
fall down and appear to be sick, according to Allen, who said either she or
Moore has to be notified when rabies are suspected.Once the animal is tested, the report is sent to
the Board of Health, which in turn shares the information with the animal
control officer.The raccoon tested positive for rabies, according to
Pease."Since then, we have sent in two or three other animals,"
to be tested for rabies, but none were positive, Pease said.In one of the incidents, a stray cat attacked an
84-year-old woman on Janet Circle
approximately two weeks ago.The woman chased the "steel-gray cat" out of her
garage with a broom, but the cat returned and wrapped its paws around the woman,
who then received 16 puncture wounds from cat bites.Pease said she set a trap in the woman's yard to
catch the animal."After trapping and releasing her cat four times, I
finally caught the (gray) cat," she said. "I came in twice a day on the weekends
on my own time to check the trap."The cat, which was exhibiting unusual behavior, was
euthanized at a vet's office and sent for testing at the state lab. It came back
negative for rabies.The woman eventually was sent to the hospital and
received intravenous antibiotics."She did not have to go through the rabies series,"
Pease said.The exposed person, if tests show that the animal had
rabies, must be treated to prevent rabies, according to the Mass. Executive
Office of Health and Human Services Web site. "Treatment consists of five shots
of vaccine plus one shot of immune globulin over the course of a month."Pease said two to six rabies specimens in Shrewsbury
are sent for testing each year."Our biggest safety net is getting our domestic
animals their rabies shots," she said.
Rabies 101
The rabies virus can infect any
mammal, but is more common among certain ones like bats, skunks, foxes and
raccoons.Cats, dogs and livestock also get rabies - and spread it
to their owners - if they do not have special shots to protect them, but it is
very rare among small rodents like squirrels, rats, mice and chipmunks.The rabies virus is spread when an infected animal
bites or scratches, but can also be spread if saliva from an infected animal
touches broken skin, open wounds or the lining of the mouth, nose or eyes. In
caves crowded with bats, it may be possible to inhale the virus floating on bat
saliva in the air.Rabid animals often behave strangely after the virus
attacks their brains. They may attack people or other animals for no reason, or
they may lose their fear of people and seem unnaturally friendly. Not all rabid
animals act in these ways, so you should avoid all wild animals, especially
bats, skunks, foxes and raccoons and not feed or touch stray cats or dogs.
If you have been bitten or scratched by a stray or
wild animal, or by a pet or farm animal that has been behaving oddly, wash the
wound with soap and water right away for at least 10 minutes; call your health
care provider and the local Board of Health as soon as you finish washing;
contact the animal control officer to catch or find the animal; and if your pet
has been bitten or scratched by an animal you think may be rabid, put on gloves
before touching your pet, follow the steps above, but call the pet's
veterinarian instead of your own doctor.
For more information, call the
Mass. Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Immunization at
1-888-658-2850, or visit www.mass.gov/dph.
PITTSFIELD, MA - Three residents
of the Berkshires, including a 10-year-old girl, received medical treatment
after an encounter with a rabid fox. The fox was smothered and killed shortly
after Sunday's incident by the girl's father and a visiting friend. The fox's
body was transported to the state Department of Public Health laboratory in
Boston, where testing confirmed it had rabies. Jeff Moxon of Pittsfield tells
the Berkshire Eagle that the fox bit his daughter, Deborah, on the right foot.
The Moxons, as well as family friend Pasquale Arace, who was visiting the
family, were all given rabies shots at Berkshire Medical Center.Deborah says the fox bit her after she stuck out
her leg to protect her 2-year-old sister.
------
Information from: The Berkshire Eagle, http://www.berkshireeagle.com
By Christian Schiavone
Wicked Local News
http://www.wickedlocal.com
April 30, 2008 5:13 PM EDT
Acton,
MA -
Acton's human residents aren't
the only ones who have been more active in the warm, dry weather the past few
weeks hasbrought.
The Board of Health this week issued three emergency permits allowing the town
to hire a local trapper to capture and kill beavers whose dams are creating a
public health risk by threatening septic systems and flooding a driveway at
three spots in town. Once the beavers are gone, the town can breach the
dams and prevent further flooding. Unfortunately, the drier the spring,
the busier the beavers get because they want to retain water, Doug Halley, the
towns health agent, said during the boards April 28 meeting. The concern we have
is that the flooding could potentially affect septic systems. Halley said
there are likely about 15 to 20 beavers causing the problems. In 2000, the
state Legislature gave local Boards of Health the power to grant such 10-day
emergency permits to capture and dispose of beavers and muskrats that can cause
dramatic impacts on their surroundings by damming rivers and streams. Only
licensed trappers are permitted to trap beavers. Halley said the trapper
will use restriction or conibear traps intended to capture the animals alive and
above water. The beavers are then killed, usually by being shot and the trapper
is permitted to keep the pelts. State law prohibits capturing beavers and
releasing them elsewhere. Board member Joanne Bissetta said the beavers
need to be removed because they can cause serious damage to septic systems
causing both environmental damage and costing the property owner thousands of
dollars. If a septic system floods it doesn't function and it backs up
into peoples homes and businesses and creates a public health risk, she said.
Medford, MA -
With its chain-link fences and tidy patches of lawn, Gibson Street in Medford
isn't the first place Animal Planet is likely to set up its cameras. So, Joyce Pantone
Rodrigues, understandably, was surprised when she looked out her kitchen window on a
recent morning and saw a coyote staring back
.
"At
first I thought it was a fox or a wolf. I didn't know what it was," said Rodrigues,
who identified the furry, sleek-snouted creature with the help of her husband and quickly
notified several neighbors, as well as the state. "I never in a million years
expected to see a coyote in my backyard."Most have
had the same reaction to the coyotes spotted regularly of late in this section of the
city, roughly a half-mile east of Interstate 93 and the Mystic River, although opinions
about the presence of the animals vary widely. The children, and some of the adults, are
enthralled; others are indifferent, while still others want the coyotes eradicated by
almost any means necessary. At a recent meeting, city councilors expressed concern for
public safety and demanded immediate coyote relocation or action. Councilor Robert M.
Penta suggested the use of a "stun gun."That's
not going to happen, because coyotes are protected, local and state wildlife officials
said. Relocating them is illegal and could endanger the animals and pose a threat to
people. The alternative, euthanasia, is reserved for the rare cases when coyotes become
aggressive......
Medford, MA - Karen Dudley is scared to leave her shih
tzu, Morgan, in her Myrtle Street back yard unsupervised. For nearly two months
a pair of coyotes has been rummaging for food in the easement behind her yard
and city officials say they don't have cause to remove the offending critters.A group of coyotes are living in an area behind her yard, said City
Councilor Fred Dello Russo at an April 8 council meeting. Through a system of
burrows they've managed to get through the fences.Dello Russo said rabies has been a problem in wild animals lately and he
doesn't like to think of what could happen if a coyote were infected. Dudley's
main concern, however, is her dog.I have a
small dog and if I cant let my dog out in my own back yard Dudley trailed
off. I have to stand outside and watch and I cant leave and do an errand
because they're allowing coyotes in the area.Dudley said she would like to see the animals removed from her neighborhood.
Karen Rose, Medford's director of public health, says its not so easy. The
problem is, we cant remove coyotes, said Rose. We cant catch and release
unless we can prove they're ill or they're dangerous.There are a host of reasons why wildlife experts say wildlife should not
be relocated. For starters, moving wildlife is against state law. According to
Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife documentation, moving animals to
another area hurts the ecosystem by throwing it out of balance. Moreover, it
just takes problem animals and places them in someone else's backyard.If you do remove them, all you do is open up that territory, said Rose.
Then you have other coyotes coming in and possibly fighting for the territory.
Rose says there are at least 10 known coyote dens in Medford, the residents of
which are all tracked closely. There are even coyotes in the North End of
Boston. In recent years there have not been any incidents of coyotes acting
violently toward Medford residents or their canine companions, Rose said.Until there is an incident, concerned citizens will probably just have to
deal with the yipping and yowling of the scraggly, grayish animals. After
dealing with Animal Control, the City Council and police, Dudley is not
satisfied. She said she has been told if she claps loudly, the animals will
disperse.We've tried that and they don't
move, said Dudley. They just look at us. The police offered to send a squad
car over and blow the siren but, Dudley said, she found waving a flashlight
worked best.There is perhaps one positive note to the dilemma. We have not seen
skunks or raccoons in two months, said Dudley. Is that their dinner? The two
coyotes live by the Anheuser Busch building on Riverside Avenue in Medford, Rose
said. They use the easement left by old train tracks to get through town. But
until they become a threat there is nothing officials can do.We have coyotes living among us, said Rose, and we just have to try to
live with them.
Newbury, MA - Last week, Laura Hanlon's
husband put their two dogs, Riley and Eddie, outside at 6:30 a.m., just
like they had been doing for years at their property on Scotland Road.Minutes later, Laura, her husband and her visiting brother found
themselves running outside to ward off a coyote who had crept into their
yard and begun to chase Eddie, their Australian cattle dog mix.Hanlon, equipped with an air horn and her husband's golf club,
called for Riley to come inside and he immediately ran back into the
house. Hanlon continued into the woods searching for Eddie, who she said
is more protective and who might have been chasing the coyote off the
property.After 20 minutes in the woods,
Hanlon found Eddie, but didn't realize until later when she saw blood
seeping through Eddie's fur that he had been attacked.
"When I retrieved him, I was very concerned," Hanlon said. "I know one
coyote was seen by my husband and they blend in very well with the
woods. I felt like it was probably still there. Had I known it had
attacked my dog, I would have been even more fearful (that it might
attack me)."Eddie survived after being
brought to the Amesbury Animal Hospital, where they shaved his hair off,
revealing at least five wounds, including what Hanlon called "two pretty
large" ones and "one very large" gash, which was larger than a half
dollar.Eddie was placed on anesthesia,
and draining tubes were put into the wounds for several days before he
was placed on antibiotics and painkillers. Newbury animal control
officer Carol Larocque said coyotes are virtually never a threat to
humans but thinks the attack on the dog may have been a territorial
issue, citing the fact that coyotes may have their young now and would
want to protect them."People don't
realize how much wildlife is out there; there are an awful lot of
coyotes," Larocque said. "They are
running out of environment, so now they have to live amongst us. I know
that right down the street from me there is a pack of like 14 coyotes,
and there's quite a few up by Scotland Road. They're just all over."
Larocque said a coyote looks like a cross between a fox and a wolf, and
they have a variety of different colors. The coyote attack was not the
first sighting that Hanlon and her husband have had on their property.
Having lived there for the past 12 years, Hanlon said they have seen two
coyotes, with one sighting occurring last March in the woods behind
their house."It stood there and stared
at our dogs," Hanlon said. "We were concerned." Following the sighting,
Hanlon contacted the animal control officer, who told her that coyotes
are prevalent in the area and they likely had dens in the woods around
their house. The officer also told them
that this time of year is mating season, and coyotes can be more
aggressive when protecting a pregnant coyote or a litter of pups.Hanlon said she still didn't ever expect to see one in her yard.
"I understand the area we are in is difficult," Hanlon said. "Not only
is there a healthy population in our surrounding area, but they also
like the area because it is rural. I'd be very concerned owning a cat.
I didn't know we had to be concerned
with two big dogs. We know now."Hanlon
said her two dogs are both medium-sized, with Riley, a black Lab,
weighing 80 pounds and Eddie weighing 60 pounds. She was alarmed that a
coyote would attack animals that are the same size as it or larger."It seems to me that I read about (pets being attacked) more and
more often in towns even far less rural than Newbury," Hanlon said.
"They are even attacking dogs on leashes; it indicates coyotes are
losing any significant fear of humans."Larocque said it is out of the ordinary for a coyote to attack a dog
because they normally go for smaller prey like rodents. However, if they
have to feed a whole family of young, then they are constantly out
looking for a food supply and could even take down a newborn calf,
according to Larocque.Hanlon said since
the attack last Tuesday, her dogs haven't been allowed to roam freely
like they were before and have only been allowed to go outside while
being walked on a leash. She also said Riley, who was fearless before,
now searches the woods beyond the perimeter of their backyard and cowers
down in fear.Larocque said this was the
first coyote attack reported this year, but she would like to have
people call her if they witness another one. "I like to know where
attacks are taking place because if they are concentrated in a certain
area, the Environmental Police can be made aware of the problem in the
certain area," Larocque said. "Then we could kind of notify neighbors
and let the people know there is a problem in the area."Larocque suggested that owners never let their pets loose outside
unsupervised to protect them from attacks from other animals. If need
be, Larocque said coyotes can be scared off by making a lot of noise.Since last Tuesday, Hanlon said she has had fencing contractors
at her property with ideas for fencing the yard off due to "extremely
high levels of anxiety for (the dogs') safety." "I am concerned much
more about our dogs' safety than (I was) before last Tuesday," Hanlon
said. "The dogs are 7 and 8 and have
never had a life-threatening incident. We enjoyed feeling safe about
their existence. We no longer feel that way."We will take some action. We will do what we need to do to
prevent this from happening again."
By Aaron Nicodemus TELEGRAM
& GAZETTE STAFF Monday, March 31, 2008
WESTBORO,
MA -
With their penchant for damming up running water and chewing down tree after
tree, American beavers can create headaches galore for property owners,
water department managers and highway superintendents. They're also admired
for their ingenuity, work ethic and engineering skills. Their thick winter
pelts can fetch as much as $23. Beavers have caused so many problems in
Westboro, in so many different places, that the towns Department of Public
Works has requested $5,000 in next years budget just for beaver-related
problems. They're everywhere. Its amazing the destruction they can cause in
a short period of time, said Edward I. Wagner Jr., assistant manager of the
Westboro Department of Public Works. The town recently paid to have five
beavers trapped and killed because they were blocking up a culvert under Nourse Street that nearly flooded the
basement of a house and could have flooded the street. Once completely wiped
out in Massachusetts,
beavers have made an amazing come back, aided by a 1996 statewide ballot
question that banned many kinds of traps. The law was modified in 2000 to
allow for a trapping season and emergency trapping permits, but by then the
population had tripled, from 20,000 statewide to more than 70,000. There are
no current accurate counts of beavers, state wildlife officials say, because
there are no uniform reporting requirements for counting trapped beavers.
The trapper hired by Westboro used a conibear trap, which catches the entire
animals body. Trappers say it immediately kills the animal by dislocating
its spine. Animal rights advocates say many animals survive until the
trapper returns. Trap and release is not an option. It is illegal in
Massachusetts
to catch a wild animal in one location and release it somewhere else,
according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. It is also
illegal to break down a beaver dam without a permit. Mr. Wagner estimated
that his department spends six to eight hours a week on beaver problems,
mostly clearing away beaver dams from culverts and checking known beaver
areas for new problems. Beavers regularly block culverts near the Westboro
Tennis & Swim Club on LakeChauncy, and on Whittemore Pond off Flanders Road. In
Suasco Reservoir on Arch Street,
Mr. Wagner said the town has paid for about 20 beavers to be removed in the
past three or four years. As soon as we trap them, others move right
in, he said. The town pays to remove beavers because they build dam
after dam in front of the culvert there, which has flooded out the section
of Arch Street by the
railroad bridge. Every time, the beavers adapt after a dam is removed.
The beavers are smart. I have a lot of respect for them, he said. If you
remove the dam, the next time, they start to dam up inside the pipe first,
so we cant get to it. Paul McNulty, Westboro's director of public
health, said the town issues only one or two emergency trapping permits a
year, although the department is aware of residents hiring trappers during
the trapping season, which lasts from Nov. 1 to April 15. The beaver
population has just exploded, he said. Communities throughout
Massachusetts
have battled with beavers, whose dams flood out roads, basements, wells and
septic systems. They can also chew down a wooded lot in a short time,
leaving areas open to erosion. But simply trapping and killing the animals
is a short-term solution, since beavers tend to reappear in areas where
there is running water and plenty of food. Beavers are beavers, they're
wildlife, and we've got to balance the human and the wild, said Ginny
Scarlet, wetlands and soil specialist for the town of
Spencer. She said that while plenty of private
landowners in town have called trappers to remove beavers causing problems,
the town has tried to co-exist with them. In three different spots in
Spencer along the CranberryRiver,
on private property off
McCormick Road and on land at Buck Hill Pond
beaver pipes have been installed to allow water to flow through beaver dams.
It becomes a maintenance issue at that point, she said. You've still got to
clear it out regularly; the beavers will try to clog it up. In 2006, an
emergency beaver trapping permit issued by the West Boylston Board of Health
sparked an outcry from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. But
Board of Health chairman Robert J. Barrell Jr. said the board has issued
only two such permits in the nine years he has been a member. We've got to
learn to live with beavers, he said. Removing them is'nt a long-term
solution. It's only a matter of time before a family re-habitats the area.
In several locations in town, private landowners have installed water
diverters, usually pipes which help mask the sound of running water, which
attracts beavers. The town of Templeton has had success
keeping beavers away from culverts with six beaver deterrent fences. The
beavers still try to plug them, but with a few modifications, we've kept
them clear, said Templeton Highway Superintendent Francis Chase. But the
beavers don't give up. All they do is go upstream, and they flood other
peoples properties. He said each fence cost about $1,500 to install, and
requires regular maintenance. Mr. Chase said the beaver population is out of
control. People in the cities, they think they're beautiful when they drive
down the country roads and see them working away, he said. But they're
causing a lot of trouble for somebody.
After Homo sapiens, no
mammal in North America can alter a landscape faster than the Castor canadensis.
(back to top) By Anna Kivlan/Daily News staff
Dedham Transcript [STORY]
Posted Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:24 AM
WALPOLE, MA - The
Walpole animal control officer has confirmed a case of rabies in that town,
and he thinks it won't be the last one this year. John Spillane said a rabid
raccoon on March 9 lunged at two Akitas tied up outside a Washington Street
home, biting one of them on the lower leg before the dog killed it. The
woman who owns the dogs phoned Spillane, who took the dead raccoon,
decapitated it and delivered the head to the state laboratory. He learned
last week that the raccoon tested positive for rabies. Because the dog was
up to date with its vaccinations, it was given a booster shot and placed in
quarantine at home, where it will remain for 45 days to make sure it doesn't
come down with the disease. If the Akita hadn't been vaccinated, the owner's
choice would have been a six-month quarantine or euthanasia. Spillane said
the case in Walpole leads him to believe there's going to be a high
incidence of rabies in wild animals this year, perhaps as many as 20 to 30
in town. "It's hard to say because if I get a call for a sick (wild) animal,
I just put it down," he said. "We've had a quiet last two years, and rabies
rises and falls in cycles." "It's not a normal thing for a raccoon to come
out of the woods and go after big dogs," he said. With the arrival of
spring, the possibility of running into a rabid animal increases, though
rabies in domestic animals is rare and it is even rarer in humans. Rabies is
fatal if left untreated. The chances of human infection are rising with the
coming of spring. "Obviously, the spring and summer are more active (for
rabies) because more people are outside," said Dr. John D'Esopo, a
veterinarian at Dr. Wolf's Medical Center in Dedham and the town's animal
inspector. So far this year, one animal - a squirrel - has been tested for
rabies in Dedham, said Health Director Catherine Cardinale. The test came
back negative. Last year, nine animals were tested for rabies and two
raccoons came back positive, she said. In Norwood, two cats with "wounds of
unknown origin" were quarantined last year but did not come down with the
disease, said Michael Cahill, rabies program coordinator for the
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. And there were no rabies
cases in Westwood last year, although three animals were submitted for
testing, said Health Director Linda Shea. But residents shouldn't become lax
about vaccinating pets just because there were no rabies cases in town last
year. "Although you may not see a positive in several years, it's just a
matter of time until we have another. The best thing to do to protect you
and your family is to vaccinate," said Cahill. Vaccination and licensing
clinics for cats and dogs will be held in Dedham from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
April 19 at the Animal Rescue League at 55 Anna's Place, and from 9 a.m. to
noon on April 5 at the Carby Street Municipal Office Building at 50 Carby
St. in Westwood. The cost of the vaccine, required for dogs and cats by
state law, is $10 in Westwood, and $8 in Dedham. Microchip implants - for
animal identification - will also be offered at the Dedham clinic for $15.
For residents of Norwood and Walpole, towns that won't be offering clinics
this year, vaccines are administered for $14 at the Norwood and Dedham Petco
locations year-round. The stores are located on Providence Highway. LuvMyPet
- an organization that provides vaccinations by licensed veterinarians in 23
states - offers the shots every other Sunday in Norwood from 11 a.m. to
12:30 p.m., and one Saturday a month between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the
Dedham location. This month's Dedham clinic is March 29. Ferrets can also be
vaccinated at the Petco clinics. While the facts about rabies are
well-publicized, Cahill estimates that only 70 to 80 percent of dogs and 30
to 40 percent of cats are vaccinated statewide. Because cats are a lot less
likely to be vaccinated, the incidence of rabies among them is much higher,
he said. Rabies lives in saliva and nerve tissue, according to a
Massachusetts Department of Public Health fact sheet. It is spread when an
infected animal bites or scratches another animal or human, or if the saliva
comes into contact with broken skin, open wounds, eyes, noses and mouths.
For adult animals, the vaccination is good for three years, said Cahill.
Pets that come into contact with wildlife - whether they are bitten or
merely exposed to another animal's saliva - must be tested for rabies. Any
mammal can get rabies, he said. Although rare, rabies can show up in
rodents, like squirrels and woodchucks. "I had the first woodchuck in the
state that came down rabid," said Spillane. "They said rodents couldn't get
it. ... It climbed a six-foot high chain-link fence to go after a hound
dog," he said. "The dog killed it."
Ipswich, MA - It's a little hard to tell if Wenham's culverts on the
Miles River are performing up to expectations after being replaced last
year. Due to heavy rains and melting snow the past two weeks, there's an
unusually high amount of water in the river, but don't blame the culverts.
"There's not a lot of flow out there because of all the beaver dams
downstream," Tyack said. No Wenham residents have complained of flooding so
far, he said. The news is not so good in Hamilton, however, where
water levels threaten to submerge some septic systems. State Rep. Brad
Hill is pointing his finger directly at officials in his own hometown,
Ipswich. Wenham, Hamilton and Beverly, the other three communities through
which the river runs, have all done trapping and dam breaching to alleviate
beaver problems, and even the MBTA has helped out by clearing one of the
culverts under its tracks. "The town of Ipswich hasn't done anything,"
Hill said. Flooding during the Mother's Day storm in 1986 destroyed
three culverts in Wenham. The cost to replace them was $1.8 million. Homes
in Beverly, Wenham and Hamilton were also flooded. Ipswich is part of
the Miles River Task Force that formed to tackle perennial problems with the
river. Besides the beaver population, the river is heavily infested with
purple loosestrife, an invasive plant that is choking the river and
inhibiting its ability to act as sponge during rain storms. Hill said
he hopes to be on the Ipswich selectmen's agenda soon so coalition members
can plead their case for more action. "It's puzzling to me why one
town is unwilling to do anything when the other three have spent money, and
a good deal of money, so the water can get through," Hill said. "It's
useless if the water has no place to go. "Ipswich Conservation
Commission Chairman David Standley has publicly expressed skepticism about
beaver trapping. The commission would have to grant permission for any dams
to be breached. Standley says he doesn't doubt trapping and breaching
would be successful in the short run, but beavers are bound to return. The
rodents are here because this has become good beaver habitat, he said.
Hill said the river coalition is waiting for Sen. Ted Kennedy or Congressman
John Tierney to place an "earmark" in the federal budget that would provide
money for the Army Corps of Engineers to look into dredging the river, but
there's no guarantee that will come to pass. In the meantime, Hill
hopes he can just get some quick decisions on beaver dams. "I'm very
disappointed in the actions of Ipswich," he said.
FRANKLIN, MA - A dam at the DelCarte
conservation area is at risk of collapsing, according to a report released last
week, a development that could threaten downstream homes. Town engineering
consultants did not give a time frame for the possible failure during a
presentation at the Conservation Commission Thursday, but they did categorize
the dam as a "significant" hazard, not a "high" one. "We felt there would
definitely be significant impact to the surrounding area," said engineer Matthew
Bellisle, the president of Pare Corp. While only one of the seven earthen
dams - No. 3, in the middle of the 130-acre property - poses a threat, the
others could collapse, too, Bellisle said. Over the years, trees have
sprouted on the structures, tearing the dams apart with their roots, he said,
and water flow has changed paths because of beaver activity and is now eroding
the man-made structures. "The beavers are causing a tremendous amount of
damage to the area," said Bellisle. The current dam configuration holds back the
Mill River and was made by longtime landowner Ernest DelCarte, who took an old
cranberry growing operation and turned it into a fishing and boating spot. After
his death, his daughter donated the $3 million property to the town, according
to his wishes. While Bellisle cautioned that his team has more work to do,
he suggested repairing three of the dams, including the problematic No. 3.
The rest might be removable, he said. "It might be more cost-effective to remove
those structures," he said, referring to the need to maintain any dams that are
left.
Several Conservation Commission members noted that removing dams could make the
remaining ponds bigger, increasing recreational opportunities. While the
engineering team still needs to assess the impact of different options and make
a final recommendation, Conservation Commission Chairman Raymond Willis said
after the meeting that the removal of four dams could range anywhere from
several hundred thousand dollars to a couple of million. The current study
costs $25,000 and is being funded by fees and fines collected by the commission.
Any further spending would have to come from other sources, Willis has said.
During Thursday's meeting, Bellisle pointed out that there are more than 3,000
dams in Massachusetts, with Franklin's structures unlikely to qualify for the
limited state repair grants available. Commission member Paul Boncek
agreed. "This isn't a very threatening situation," he said. Michael Morton
can be reached at mmorton@cnc.com or 508-634-7582.
By Thomas Caywood TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF -
Jan. 16, 2008
WORCESTER,
MA - City health officials have issued a “coyote alert” in
response to roughly two dozen sightings of the animals here during the last six weeks,
including some near the heart of downtown. “We’ve
had sightings from every part of the city, not just on the outskirts. They’re coming
down into the core of the city,” said Derek S. Brindisi, the city’s director of
public health.
By Joyce
Kelly/MetroDaily
West News staff
Posted Nov 09, 2007 @ 01:13 AM
HOLLISTON,
MA - Chances of evading a
death trap look slim for the Bogastow Brook beavers.
Water commissioners Wednesday night agreed to try saving the beavers,
which the state deemed a public health threat in
September, by seeking help from the Massachusetts Audubon Society and
the Animal Rescue League. The stateDepartment
of Environmental Protection is advising the town to immediately remove
the beavers, which commonly carry two life-threatening parasites,
giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium, and their dam. The animals'
proximity to a public drinking water
source, Well No. 5, off Central Street, poses an immediate threat to the
water supply and public health. But
using lethal traps appears to be the only way to remove the beavers,
said Water Department Superintendent Ron Sharpin, since transporting
them is illegal. To legally move a wild animal such as a beaver, a
permit must be obtained from the state Division of Wildlife & Fisheries,
which has a policy to not issue permits to transport beavers, said
divisionspokeswoman Lisa Capone. Yesterday,
the Daily News contacted Mass Audubon and the Animal Rescue League of
Boston to seewhether either group would
consider taking the Bogastow Brook beavers and save their lives. "No, we
can't take them. You can't move them. No, you definitely can't do that,"
said Stacy Miller at Mass Audubon in Natick. "That would not work out -
we have enough beavers of our own," she said, laughing. The Animal
Rescue League also indicated it cannot help thebeavers. "If there's healthy wildlife, the state prevents
organizations such as ours from picking up a wild animal and moving it
to another location," said Christopher Smalley, the league's director of
media relations. He suggested the town contact theMassachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
which does have a program to manage wildlife. Even
if an organization such as Mass Audubon agreed to "adopt" the beavers
and give them a new home, the Division of Wildlife & Fisheries will not
allow them to be transported, Capone said. Beavers are creating problems
"all over" the state, so Wildlife & Fisheries officials view their
relocation as simply moving the problem from one place to another, she
said. "The Division of Fisheries & Wildlife does not allow relocation of
beavers for any reason," Capone said
yesterday. Sharpin, who has been in emergency preparedness classes with
other town officials all week, said he has not yet contacted the Animal
RescueLeague or Mass Audubon. Since the state
passed the law prohibiting the use of lethal traps without a permit from
the local board of health, beavers have caused problems all over the
state, Sharpin said.During wetter
weather, the overflow ofBogastow Brook
created by the beaver dam backed up into neighbors' septic systems. Even
after August's record lowrainfall, when the
pond was down to the lowest level it can go, Sharpin said, it didn't
recede from the well. "It's reallyridiculous
what the law's resulted in. It seemed to be innocent at first ... but
it's evolved into a real environmental impact
and human impact. "It's a problem we don't know any other solution for,
and I guess the state doesn't either," Sharpin said.
(Joyce Kelly can be reached at 508-626-4423 or jkelly@cnc.com.)
Waltham,
MA
- Coyotes attacked and mauled an 11-pound dog in Waltham early yesterday morning.Penny, the injured animal, was taken to the Veterinary Emergency
and Specialty Center of New England, a 24-hour animal hospital on
Bear Hill Road, where she was euthanized.This is first recorded coyote attack in
Waltham, according to police.Lt. Joseph Brooks said yesterday around dawn, a
resident of Lincoln Street let
Penny, a mixed-breed, out the front door to run around the neighborhood
near Smith Street, where
she was attacked."He heard all this yelping," Brooks
said. "He went outside with a flashlight. His dog came
back but it was all chewed up. They brought it to the vet."Neighbors are warned to keep tabs on their pets."These things kind of create mass hysteria," he said. "Just make
sure you keep your dogs on a leash or in a fenced-in yard. Coyotes are
most active at dawn and dusk."Brooks also
recommended keeping cats inside."There have been
reports, not here, but of coyotes who have been known to attack cats,"
he said.According to Brooks, Penny, who had been
with the family since she was a puppy, lived in a semi-wooded
residential area in the 600 block of
Lincoln Street, bordering Rte. 128 and
Smith Street.Amy Shroff,
a veterinarian at the hospital, said the facility has treated about six
pets for injuries received in coyote attacks."I've
had coyote attacks in my neighborhood. I live in Wayland," she said.
"Coyotes tend to be fairly quiet animals that are only looking for food
for their young."Shroff encouraged residents not to
take violent action against coyotes."It's a
situation no one should have to go through. It's really traumatic," she
said. "I think the real issue is we're encroaching on their territory.
The coyotes, like other animals, are only trying to survive and they
need to eat. Unfortunately, smaller dogs and smaller cats, if they are
out and not supervised, these things can happen."
Shroff also offered ways for
Waltham
residents to protect their pets."Cats
should really be indoor animals. They should be in, in the early morning
hours. Small dogs ... it's not just coyotes we worry about, there's
other dogs that run in packs," she said. "The typical attack scenario is
small or older dogs and cats that are out unattended."Shroff said pet owners can reduce the chance for attacks by
watching over their animals outside at dusk and dawn.
"The coyotes aren't going anywhere," she said. "I think we just need to
have more common sense and understand these animals are only feeding.
They are not necessarily violent animals."Jeff Gilbride can be reached at
781-398-8005 or jgilbrid@cnc.com.
I found it interesting that the article concerning erosion and
giardia contamination at Puffer's Pond avoided mentioning the resident
beavers and instead focused attention on the human activity around and
in the pond. Having visited the local swimming hole and conservation
area for 20 years, I have sadly noticed much devastation, specifically
around the pond itself, in the past five to eight years. Sad because not
only is Puffer's Pond a wonderful, icy cold swimming spot that makes
this area so special, but also because of the loss of important climax
forest trees which have taken many years to grow to their mature sizes.
What I have noticed in the past years is the construction of a beaver
dam, and then subsequent destruction of many trees around the pond,
including old beautiful beech and hemlock trees. I believe this has led
to the erosion problems more than the human activity around and in the
pond, which only occurs a few months out of the year. The beavers are at
work for a much longer period. And one has to consider that the ultimate
destiny of a beaver-inhabited area is meadow. The beavers will use up
all the food available and then leave. It is easy to see the changes at
Puffer's that have resulted from the beaver activity. A marsh is
growing, and giardia counts are most likely rising. I am a naturalist
and love nature, but I am not the type that doesn't believe in deer
hunting or getting rid of beavers when they cause serious problems for
humans or even the natural environment. Consider that Puffer's Pond is a
much-loved man-made swimming hole, and many children enjoy this spot
during the summer months. Giardia is a nasty parasite that causes
chronic diarrhea, intestinal discomfort, fatigue and weight loss. It
requires medication. Children are more likely to ingest the cysts from
beaver feces by ingesting the pond water. Giardia cysts can last out of
water on toys (perhaps rafts) for a long time. Also, the organism can be
harbored by dogs. A beaver is a giant rodent, the largest North American
rodent in fact. They feed on tree bark and cambium (the living layer of
the tree, underneath the bark), living for up to 20 years. If one were
to look up "beaver damage" online, one would find that not only is it a
common problem, but one of the main aspects of the damage that beavers
cause is erosion. Erosion was the main problem at Puffer's Pond cited in
the article by Mary Carey. There seems to be a problem with beaver
control in this area. Puffer's Pond is just another victim of the lack
of policy for dealing with beaver damage. One has to wonder: Do I prefer
a beautiful swimming hole, with lovely trees, or do I prefer beavers
taking over, infesting the water with a parasite and turning the
swimming hole into a meadow? Personally, I prefer beech trees to
beavers. Especially in a conservation area, for the beavers will and
have ruined the conservation of other important wildlife species.
- Patricia Duffy, Leverett MA
(back to top) The Patriot Ledger Quincy, MA - Karen
Goulart
September 8, 2007
Hingham MA - It was a typical morning that would wind up tragic for a Hingham dog
owner. Ken Cardillo and his family hope sharing what happened that day
might spare other pet owners - or parents - from a similar experience.Like countless other mornings, Matilda, an 8-year-old Boston
terrier, woke Cardillo, wanting to be let outside. It was part of their
daily routine; Matilda would do her business while Cardillo shaved for
work.The little dog never wandered far
from the Beal Street house and would wait for Cardillo to return and let
her inside, he said. But one morning last week, just a few minutes after
she went outside, Cardillo said he heard a loud whimper.He quickly dressed, grabbed a flashlight and ran outside,
searching in brush and briars. His son joined him, they called police,
but Matilda was nowhere to be found. Later, he said, a neighbor told him
three coyotes had been behind Cardillo's house. "They must've come down
and grabbed her," Cardillo said. Cardillo said he had never seen coyotes
on his property. But he has seen them on his street.In the full light of day, one of Cardillo's daughters, Alison,
went into the woods and found Matilda's body. Cardillo said he didn't
want to know the details, but heard enough."She was kinda ripped apart," he said. "I didn't ask my daughter
for more." These days coyote sightings are not uncommon in suburbs like
Hingham or even in cities. During the spring and summer, police and
animal control receive several calls about the canines, but under state
law, there is little that can be done about them.Usually coyotes, while not shy, will not bother with larger pets
or people. But, state wildlife experts and veterinarians who deal with
attacked pets say it is never a good idea to leave small dogs or cats
unattended when coyotes are known to be nearby.
Coyotes have adapted to the suburbs because food and shelter is easy to
come by. But a hungry coyote may see a small dog as prey and a big dog
as competition. Hingham Animal Control Officer Al Currie said fatal
attacks like the one on Matilda are rare. He believes the last one
happened about 5 or 6 years ago. He said for the most part coyotes "do
what they're supposed to do," but the more they lose remote places to
live and hunt, the more careful people need to be."It's not just small dogs, if you've got an old dog, a sick dog,
it's not so much the size," Currie said. "If you've got a coyote around,
don't leave the dog unsupervised and definitely don't let it run by
itself."Cardillo's daughter, Karin, who
grew up on Beal Street and now lives in Maine, said she is concerned for
residents in the area with pets as well as small children. There are a
lot more young families in the area than there used to be, she said."People probably know the coyotes are out there," she said. "But
they may not know just how close the animals really are."Karen Goulart may be reached at kgoulart@ledger.com.
Templeton MA - The worst natural hazard facing
local officials is one they share with many other rural communities -
the beaver.The Montachusett Regional
Planning Commission met with local officials yesterday to help the town
create a plan to mitigate the effects a natural disaster might have on a
community.Earthquakes, sinkholes,
hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, blizzards, lightning strikes,
torrential rains, snow and ice, floods and drought - nothing compares to
the concern officials have about the effects of beavers.The meeting was a little more than two hours long and one hour
was spent almost exclusively on beaver dams and the problems they have
created on roads, for homeowners, and the light and water department and
sewer departments. Beaver abound in the town, which is full of streams,
brooks, ponds, bridges with culverts and a plentiful supply of trees.Jason Stanton, an analyst for the planning commission, told town
officials the time they spend on beaver problems is not unusual.
"Typically, these meetings are about two hours long and in ruralcommunities, the first hour is usually spent on beaver problems,"
Mr. Stanton said.Town officials said
beaver activity near Route 202 in the King Philip Trail area could
create a disaster if the dams were allowed to back water up into the
closed, but unlined, former landfill. Other problems could be created if
sewer lines were crushed or pump stations flooded. One pump station was
flooded several years ago, when water from the Birchhill flood
protection area backed up to surround the station. This was not related
to anything beavers had done, officials said.Beaver activity is a problem from the southern end of Templeton
at Stone Bridge Road to the northern section near Baldwinville Center
and Royalston Road. There have also been problems in East Templeton, at
the Plant Road sewer pump station, where a broken line could send sewage
into the swamps and wetlands in that area.Beaver baffles have been placed in some problem culverts in town,
and employees of various town departments spend several hours each week
cleaning culverts and removing dams.
Beaver activity can also create erosion problems, which means more
highway hours spent on repairs, according to Highway Superintendent
Francis "Bud" Chase. A flood in Depot Pond, near Bridge Street, could
wash out a lot of Baldwinville Center, Mr. Chase said.
The town also needs to inspect dams, which could create major flood
hazards if breached. Robert Biagi, project consultant for MRPC, reminded
town officials that global warming floods could increase over the next
10 years. If there is not enough snow and slow snow melt to release into
the earth, the area could face dry vegetation and other drought-related
problems.
The town should also prepare residents for disasters by providing a list
of food and supplies that might be needed. "The town might not face a
major disaster, but even a short time without access to staples can
create problems," Mr. Biagi warned.The
town has faced hurricanes and minor tornadoes, but must prepare for any
big wind event that might occur. Fire Chief Thomas Smith pinpointed
several areas in which fires could spread and create a disaster,
including in downtown Baldwinville. There, old houses are clustered
close to churches and potential fire hazards. Furthermore, at the new
DayMill Town House complex, fire apparatus access is limited.The town is already working on storm water runoff and drainage
correction plans. The regional planning commission is working with area
towns to develop a Natural Hazard Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan to help
reduce or eliminate loss of life or property from natural disasters. In
the future, all communities must have a Hazard Mitigation Plan in place
to qualify for federal Disaster Mitigation grants.
HOLLISTON, MA - On a recent Saturday morning, the Ahearn family was
eating breakfast on the patio of their 68 Cheryl St. home when their
German shepherd, Sam, started barking at a noise in the woods.Suddenly, a snarling fox charged into their backyard toward Sam.
"My wife had the kids run inside. My wife, at first tried to get the dog
inside, but couldn't get between the dog and the fox - there was nothing
she could do," William Ahearn said.Sam
reared up, "took him on, and took him to the ground," said Ahearn. The
dog stood back, and the fox got up and attacked him a second time - and
that's when Sam killed it, Ahearn said.
Initially, the family thought the black and tan fox, which Ahearn
estimated was about half the size of Sam, who weighs 75 pounds, was a
coyote. Ahearn grew up around alligators, and said he is not too shaken
by the June 16 incident, which the Board of Health reported at its
meeting Monday.The family has seen many
foxes in the area, and as many as seven coyotes, he said. "It certainly
wasn't the smallest fox I've ever seen," Ahearn said. Holliston Animal
Hospital later determined the animal was a red fox and tested positive
for rabies, according to Animal Inspector Donald Kramer.The fox bit Sam in the head, which left a mark but did not
puncture the skin, he said. Since Sam had his rabies vaccination, the
family was told to just quarantine him at home for 45 days, Board of
Health Agent/Director Ann McCobb said.
Animals must be decapitated to test for rabies, which requires taking a
brain tissue sample, McCobb said. Only a few cats and dogs - typically 1
percent or less - test positive for the virus, according to Michael
Cahill, rabies program coordinator for the state Department of
Agricultural Resources.For that reason,
Cahill strongly recommends owners quarantine their pets for 10 days
rather than needlessly kill and test them, which also costs the state
time and money. Last year, 400 dogs were killed to be tested for rabies,
and not a single one was positive, according to the state Department of
Public Health Web site."They are tested
way more than they should be ... and they shouldn't be put down," he
said. Rabies is most prevalent in raccoons, foxes, skunks and bats,
Cahill said. Animals are not infectious during the incubation period,
but pose a threat once the virus becomes active: when it reaches and
swells the brain, much like encephalitis, and, three days later, saliva,
he said.The longest dogs and cats live
when they're actively infected is eight days, but typically four or
five, he said. The state averages one positively tested rabid animal a
day, and the distribution of rabid animals is widespread, he said.
Southern Worcester County is busy now, and in June, animals tested
positive for rabies in the towns of Holliston (red fox), Framingham
(raccoon), Wellesley (raccoon), Brookline (bat), and Sudbury
(woodchuck), Cahill said.Massachusetts
was free of rabies until the early 1990s, when southern animals spread a
virulent form of the virus up the East Coast, primarily through
raccoons, according to Wayne F. MacCallum, director of MassWildlife.Now rabies, which can infect any mammal, is endemic to
Massachusetts and kills most of the raccoons and foxes here, he said.
The population then rebuilds itself, and the virus takes aim again -
about a four-year cycle, MacCallum said.
"There's no way to eliminate the virus unless you eliminated all the
animals," MacCallum said. Signs to watch for: Erratic behavior: animals
do not show wariness or fear of people, and some instances, attack
people. Normally, MacCallum said, foxes are "quite leery" and keep their
distance. When they are infected with rabies - they can exhibit a
"passive friendliness" that can attract children. Foaming at the mouth
occurs in only about 15 percent of rapid animals, MacCallum said.If an animal starts acting strangely, call animal control, he
advised. "The best way to protect your family and your pets from rabies
is to make sure your cats and dogs are current with vaccinations, which
are safe and effective," Cahill said.
William Ahearn said he is pleased at how Sam reacted. "Having the dog
out there was kind of an assurance (of protection). He certainly did his
job - not that we got him to be an attack dog, but it's something German
shepherds are good at," he said. "Certain instincts are bred in
shepherds to protect, and he certainly was protecting his people."(Joyce Kelly can be reached at 508-626-4423 or jkelly@cnc.com.)
By Javier C. Hernandez, Globe
Correspondent | June 28, 2007
ANDOVER,
MA - In the midst of the Great Depression, beavers were
so scarce in Massachusetts after years of unrestricted hunting that the
state was forced to acquire three from New York to revive their
presence. Now the number of buck-toothed, tree-chomping rodents is
exploding across the state, with beavers causing flooded backyards and
munching their way through local forests.Wildlife specialists said the state's beaver population has
tripled in the last decade to an estimated 70,000 to 80,000. The boom
coincides with a record number of complaints about Castor canadensis.As residential sprawl yet again pits human against animal, the
large rodents have sparked territorial battles in cranberry bogs in the
southeastern part of the state, near wetlands in Western Massachusetts,
and in neighborhoods across the Merrimack Valley and theNorth Shore. While there have been scattered reports of beaver
problems around the state over the past several years, Alan French, who
heads the Andover-based Bay Circuit Alliance, a coalition of state and
local landowners -- said the dams showing up in the Andover area this
year are the biggest he has ever seen .
Several months ago, flooding from beaver dams closed an 18-mile stretch
of the 200-mile Bay Circuit Trail, which rings Boston. French, 75, is
working with locallandowners to bypass the
flooded areas of the trail, but he said the beaver issue has divided
residents of Andover, impeding efforts to solve the problem. "If you had
10 neighbors, the other nine would be for nuking them," French said
yesterday during a tour of Andover dams. "The polarization is just
gigantic." On the tour, French walked past a bench built in memory of
his late wife. Because of the handiwork of beavers, it now sits in mud,
overlooking a drowning boardwalk near the Skug River. The growth of
human and beaver populations, coupled with stronger restrictions on
trapping, has led to tensions, especially in Northeastern Massachusetts
suburbs, according to Stephen DeStefano, a US Geological Survey
researcher at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who studies
beavers for the state."In general, what we're seeing is there are more
beavers trying to occupy more places," he said. While beavers have a
reputation for troublemaking, conservationists point to the positive
effect they can have on habitats. Indeed, on Andover's Salem Street,
right across from a dam on the Skug River Reservation, Susan Reichter
and her family have come to love the beavers' presence. They snap photos
of the rare wood ducks, great blue herons, and mallards that dip in and
out of the new pond in her backyard created by flooding from a nearby
dam. While French pointed to nearby pines and explained beavers'
techniques, Reichter bolted out of her house to question him. She said
she watches over the dam to prevent other local residents from trying to
tear it down."The fact that the beaver has done what he's done is
great," said Reichter, a bookkeeper.
In 1996,
Massachusetts voters passed a referendum that restricted the use of
traps. To trap a beaver outside the sanctioned season, which runs from
Nov. 1 to April 15, residents must obtain a special permit by convincing
their local health board that the beaver's presence poses a safety risk.
John Benedetto, 58, has served as a trapper in the Wakefield area for 40
years. He said he has noticed a dramatic increase recently in the number
of residents who have called him for help. "Everybody likes the beaver
until he moves into the backyard," he said with a chuckle. "Some of the
messes people get into are unbelievable. People are suffering." Towns
and cities use several different methods to deter beavers, ranging from
simple trapping to "beaver deceivers," pipes that are installed beneath
dams to stealthily drain ponds, so beavers won't be spurred by the sound
of trickling water to instinctively repair their dams. Some residents
take more drastic measures. In late spring, DeStefano said, when
flooding is common but trapping is illegal without a special permit,
more residents appear to be killing the animals outright."We're always concerned about the humane treatment of animals,"
he said. "It feels a little out of control." Underneath
the white pines surrounding the reservation named for his wife, French
paused to point out where cattails used to grow. Only water and mud
occupy the spot now. French said he hopes residents in Andover will
begin to compromise to solve the beaver impasse. "I just want people to
be able to walk the trail again," he said. "But you can see the emotions
on each side," French said. "I don't think we are going to solve it in a
hurry."
(back to top)
Brian Messenger - staff writer
EagleTribune.com [STORY],
North Andover, MA -
June 26, 2007
HAVERHILL There was a time when it was all but impossible to find a
beaver in Massachusetts. They had been hunted to near extinction in the
Bay State.Wildlife supporters may be
happy to see the beaver population strong again, but some locals would
like the critters to high-tail it out of the Merrimack Valley. Beaver
dams are causing flooding from Haverhill to Andover to Newburyport.
Conservation Officer Mark Sheehan said several spots in Haverhill are
periodically flooded by the work of beavers.There are pockets of colonies, such as the wetland area behind
Regan Ford (car dealership) where they have been a nuisance for the last
six to eight years, he said. The Wastewater Department visits weekly
to monitor and maintain those blockages so the water flows as it should
and doesnt back up. You could end up with flooding of a septic field,
or it could get into your basement, Sheehan said. Thats when the
Health Department comes in as they have authority to issue beaver dam
breach permits, which give you the power to gradually pull back the
blockage to restore the water to its original height. In Andover, the
bottoms of trees lining the east side of Route 125 near Prospect Road
are now rotting under water because of beaver dams. Less than a mile
away, bridges and boardwalks built for hikers have been submerged. At
least four land reservations in the southeast portion of Andover have
been affected by the dams. Its pretty much beaver central, said David
Bunting, co-chairman of the Andover Trails Committee. The 200-mile Bay
Circuit Trail, which runs through 34 towns, including Andover, North
Andover and Newburyport, also has been blocked at certain points by
flooding caused by beaver dams. Within the last two years theyve
basically infiltrated the entire Skug River area and built multiple dams
that have flooded out many of our trails, said Bunting, also co-warden
of the 37-acre Skug River Reservation in Andover. Once absent from the
state for more than 150 years, beavers have proliferated here since the
early 1900s. In 1996, Massachusetts voters passed a ballot referendum
that restricted the use of many animal traps. As a result, the beaver
population tripled in a five-year span, from 24,000 in 1996 to 70,000 in
2001, according to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Theres more interaction between beavers and homeowners than theres
ever been, said Andover Conservation Director Bob Douglas. But from an
environmental standpoint its not completely negative. Because beavers
create wetland areas, they help support numerous other species. Though
flooding can happen where beavers build their dams and lodges, the
wetlands they create also can prevent flooding elsewhere downstream. So
while homeowners often curse the work of beavers, conservation agents
try to accept it. The reality is we have to coexist with them, said
Fred Snell, president of the Andover Village Improvement Society.
Theyre a pain in the neck, and theyre also beneficial at the same
time. The beaver population in Massachusetts has quadrupled over the
last century, according to Douglas. Its kind of a constant battle of
housing issues ... versus a species trying to adjust, said Chris Ward,
superintendent of the 700-acre Ward Reservation in both Andover and
North Andover. Theyre just doing what theyre meant to do. If they
hear running water, they want to dam it up. In 2004, beavers flooded a
portion of Ward Reservation, disturbing several miles of trails. In the
next six months, Ward and volunteers plan to build a $2,000 boardwalk to
restore the flooded trail. Though beavers can be killed by licensed
trappers between November and April, the semiaquatic mammals with few
natural predators receive an unparalleled level of protection, said
Douglas. To trap beavers between April and November, the damage done by
the animals must meet the criteria of a public health hazard, according
to Andover Health Inspector Patty Crafts. Homeowners should really do
their research before they purchase near a wetland that has running
water, said Crafts. All of a sudden, come spring, theyll lose their
trees. Such 10-day emergency trapping permits are granted by the town
fewer than 10 times a year, Crafts said. The flooding of a road or
disturbance of a septic system will warrant a permit, she said, as was
the case on Gray Road and near High Plain Road. According to Mass.
Wildlife, breaching or removing dams and the installation of water level
control devices are alternatives to trapping and killing beavers. But
despite the problems beavers can create, both Bunting and Ward expressed
tolerance of the animals on the reservations they oversee. Our policy
with Andover Trails and AVIS is of complete tolerance, said Bunting.
Its a matter of relocating trails as needed. Its something that we
have to deal with, said Ward. If beavers cant make it on conservation
land, where the heck can they make it?
Perhaps they don't like the sound of water, or
the movement of rushing water...
Marlborough, MA -Whatever the reason, beavers have just one overwhelming drive: to
stop flowing water, according to Robert Landry, Marlborough Board of
Health administrator."That's what they live for:
stopping the water," Landry said with a laugh.That
devotion to dam-building has led to a lot of headaches.The dams redirect water from rivers and streams into MetroWest
backyards. In some cases, the beavers' industry has dried up small ponds
and at least one private well, area board of health officials say.In towns like Holliston, Framingham,
Natick, Hopkinton and
Marlborough, an "explosion" of beavers is causing
what animal-rights activists refer to as "human-beaver conflict," Landry
said.Since the Legislature passed a law in 1996
banning body-grip death traps commonly used to kill beavers, the beaver
population has at least tripled, according to Wayne F. McCallum,
director of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife."It's an issue particularly in the suburban areas, where you've
got flooding of people's yards," McCallum said.
Responding to the damaged yards and wetlands, the Legislature in 2000
amended the law to allow local boards of health to take emergency
measures, said Tom O'Shea, chief of wildlife for the state Division of
Fisheries & Wildlife. A permit is granted to property owners who are
allowed to use lethal traps in specific instances.If
beavers' water-plugging work compromises public health or safety, boards
may grant permission to install devices to keep water flowing, catch
beavers with lethal traps and breach dams with conservation commission
approval, O'Shea said."A lot of local boards of
health had to do this ... Framingham's had consistent
beaver issues in some areas," O'Shea said.As beaver
populations grow and occupy more habitat, those water-flow devices
(piping systems) will not remain functional over the areas beavers can
occupy, McCallum said."As the population grows, it's
doing nothing but moving into areas where it causes problems - in places
like Ipswich, Hopkinton and Holliston. There's no question in
my mind, more rural areas don't have the problems MetroWest areas do,"
McCallum said.Worried about flooding near Central
and Fiske streets in Holliston, the town's Board of Health, in
conjunction with the Conservation Commission, is aiming to begin "beaver
mitigation" by the end of this week, according to Board of Health
Chairman Richard Maccagnano.Beavers built a
"substantial" dam and backed up the water for acres, threatening
people's backyards, Maccagnano said."A lot of
backyards were flooded, along with a town well in that area. ... The
beaver population has been growing quite a bit, and it's grown to a
point where it's hard to control the dams," he said. "There are so many
beavers, you just can't keep up with them - they work really fast."Beavers simply can't help themselves, Landry said. Studies show
that even when beavers are put in a bathtub, they instinctively try to
plug up the water.Beaver Solutions of South Hampton
was hired to create a plan for beaver controls in dams to regulate water
levels, he said.The first step is lowering the water
level by six inches, which will have a "drastic effect," Maccagnano
said.Holliston will pay about $2,200 for its
beaver-fighting efforts this year, Maccagnano said.Marlborough also contends with regular
flooding in areas like
Bigalow Street, off Concord Avenue and Sudbury Road, according to Board of Health
Administrator Robert Landry.Most recently, the city
issued an emergency permit to tackle flooding and wetlands problems
caused by beavers in neighborhoods off Spoonhill Avenue, Landry said.Since the trap ban went into effect, the beavers' handiwork has
caused flooding at AssabetValleyHigh School's sports
fields, Landry said.Landry also worries that
flooding will spawn more mosquitoes, which may in turn carry the West Nile virus. "It's a problem that seems like it
doesn't go away - three (areas) are always on our radar screen," Landry
said.In Framingham, beavers flood myriad public and
private areas, including the Massachusetts Turnpike, according to
Framingham Director of Public Health Robert Cooper.
About every other year, beavers flood a swamp and brook behind used car
depot Adesa, affecting
Bates Road, Cooper said.
They also leave a mess near
Florida Drive
and off Brook Street,
he said. "There's a stream they block up and it floods out to one of our
pumping stations. It hasn't flooded it out, but it comes awful close,"
Cooper said.In the past couple of years,
Framingham
has issued four emergency permits to deal with beaver problems, Coopers
said. Mass. Pike officials have had to obtain permits to deal with an
area along the Framingham portion of the
highway, Cooper said."It's directly related to that
Question 1 on ballot a few years ago that banned trapping. There's been
an explosion of beavers since then, and a marked decrease in trapped
beavers that's created an explosion in beaver population," Cooper said."It's frustrating in that the state foisted the whole beaver
permit process on the Boards of Health of towns without asking towns
about it," said Cooper.In Hopkinton, beavers have
flooded the Cold Spring Brook area, backed up water on
Clinton Street near the bridge, and the
Cranberry Cove area, according to Thomas Ryder, public health
administrator."We've issued 10-day permits quite a
few times ... We have a problem with them flooding people's backyards
and drying up another area - one pond was totally dried up, and the
flooding was very close to a private well," said Ryder. Town officials
usually hear about beaver troubles in the fall, he said.Officials haven't been tagging the beavers, but the population
seems to have grown in the last several years, Ryder said."We've been hearing from one neighborhood group one year, and
another neighborhood group the next year," he said.
Last year, seven beavers were killed in the Cranberry Cove area, he
said.Beavers dam up narrow streams and keep moving
downstream, he said.Even the traps are only a
temporary solution, and "beaver deceivers" are not working in Hopkinton,
Ryder said."The problem is, they just keep coming
back. It's one of these things - it's all were going to be doing for a
long time," Ryder said.(Joyce Kelly can be reached at 508-626-4423 or
jkelly@cnc.com.)
Beavers have returned to Sherborn and are already
causing damage, forcing the Board of Selectmen, at their May 31 meeting,
to begin discussing what to do about the damage the animals cause, and
how to pay for it. If left unchecked, the flood damage the dams cause
may have to be paid for by Sherborns residents.At that meeting, Sherborn resident Eliot Taylor threw
his finger into the air. Due to beavers destructive nature to septic
systems, he said, The Massachusetts Audubon Society and the state
should bear all costs and exterminate all the beavers. They spray for
mosquitoes. Beavers do not belong in Sherborn.Selectmen Chairman Chris Peck and the rest of the
board are investigating non-lethal ways to solve the problem. But there
was a sense of urgency in the board.We have to deal with the beavers, said Vice
Chairman Paul DeRensis. The board wants to deal with these seasonal
trouble-makers nonlethally, and soon.Jean Bednor, agent for the
Sherborn Conservation Commission, said that the flooding started in
April, after 4 inches of rain fell in two days. The fire road next to
the Dunstable Dam was flooded, and remains under several inches of pond
water. The access it provides to the BaileyTrail
conservation land is all but cut off, and the surrounding private
property is threatened by the flooding.The damming can cause significant damage, including
flooding of basements, erosion of land under roadways and the ruining of
private septic systems. If a Sherborn residents land is next to a body
of water flooded by a beaver dam and their septic system is ruined, the
resident, not the town, will have to repair the damage, said Gary
Kelleher, of the Sherborn Community Maintenance and Development
Department.Kelleher said that he consulted with a company called
Beaver Solutions who worked with Sherborn to deal with flooding two
years ago. They have not been hired yet, said Bednor, and even with
their help, repairs will not be easy. Repairs will have to occur in
steps, because you don't get in there to do anything with the water as
high as it is.Mike Callahan, the owner of Beaver Solutions, said
that he had submitted a proposal to Sherborn's Conservation Commission
to solve the Washington Street flooding with something called a
flexible pond leveler, a weighted tube resting on the bottom of a
pond, whose opening is surrounded by a 40-foot-diameter fence cage,
which keeps beavers from swimming close to the pipe to detect the flow
of water.The pipe allows water to flow
uninhibited beneath beaver dams, and over the tops of man-made dams such
as the one by Washington Street.The main problem facing the Board of Selectmen with
this issue is the matter of how to fund the restoration efforts. At the
last Board of Selectmen meeting, DeRensis said that the beavers must be
dealt with in a wildlife-friendly way, without killing them.Bednor stressed that the
beaver problem is an ongoing one. Twice in the past seven years, the
Conservation Commission has had to issue emergency permits to breach
beaver dams on the conservation land by Goulding Street,
she said, but that's only a temporary fix. Beavers can rebuild a dam
within 24 hours, she said.The Conservation Commission and the State Division
of the Fish and Wildlife Services view the removal of beavers only a
temporary solution, and not a desirable one, she said. Beavers live in
several places throughout the conservation lands surrounding Sherborn,
she added.The Conservation Commission, DeRensis said, doesnt
have the money to hire anyone. The money would have to come either from
the selectmen themselves or through the CM&D budget.Dealing with the flood damage without killing the
beavers would run a tab of around $3,000, said Kelleher, plus an
additional fee for quarterly inspections, he said.Peck believes that the board can split the funding
between fiscal years. If we decide to fund a portion of the project in
June, we could do that, and fund some in next years fiscal year which
begins on July 1, he said. This is a situation we have to address
quickly.There are a number of places where there are
problems, said Peck. We want to make sure we do this the right way.The Board of Selectmen was slated to review the
beaver problem again at their June 12 meeting after this writing.
WEYMOUTH, MA
- A coyote is on the attack in Weymouth. Its target: a rottweiler.
Ralph Tarina put his pup on a lease, and a
minute later one gutsy coyote attacked. Tarina's dog Daisy is far from dainty.
She's a 100-pound rottweiler. The average coyote doesn't even weigh half that
much. While the dog and coyote began to wrestle on the ground, Tarina grabbed
the first weapon he could find.
HOLLISTON, MA - Water Commissioners last night decided they are going to try and save the Bogastow Brook beavers one more time before bringing in the trappers."I just have to believe there's some way we
can (remove the beavers without killing them)," said Water Commissioner Michael
Nagle.At Nagle's request, Water
Superintendent Ron Sharpin will contact the Animal Rescue League and Mass. Audubon Society
to see if they have a viable alternative to lethal traps - specifically, getting around
the state's policy of not allowing transport of live beavers. On Sept. 21, the state
inspected the public drinking water at the Well 5 site off Central Street and concluded
beavers there pose an immediate threat to the public health. Beavers commonly carry two life-threatening
parasites, giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium, and their dam has created a massive pool
of water within 200 feet of Well 5, the state Department of Environmental Protection wrote
in a letter to the Water Department. The state requires a 400-foot buffer zone. The state
advised the town to immediately remove the beavers and dismantle the dam.
By George Barnes – Telegram & Gazette Staff June 29 '07
Phillipston,
MA - Beaver justice may have been behind a power
outage that left the entire town in the dark for four hoursyesterday. I'm calling it a revenge of the beaver. Police
Chief Richard D. Valcourt said. Chief Valcourt said he was called
out about 2:15 am for a report of a car crash on Route 2A that might
have caused a power outage. The chief said he was aware of the
outage because his own power was out. When he arrived, he learned it
was not a car crash, but a case of beaver-caused damage. I found a
beaver had cut down a large poplar tree in front of Athol Ford, he
said. The chief, who also is a state forester, said the tree was
about 60 feet tall and was laid neatly across the power lines. He
said what made him suspect revenge as a motive was an accident a
little more than eight hours before. At 6 p.m. Sunday, at the same
spot where the tree was cut, a beaver crossing Route 2A was killed
in a hit and run accident. The chief said the furry accident victim
was likely from the same family as the tree cutter. He said the
downed line could have been a simple logging accident, but he thinks
otherwise. I think he lost his family member and that was his
revenge, the chief said...
Haverhill, MA. -
The sound outside his dark bedroom window was
eerie, like a little girl screaming in distress, said 14-year-old Joey
Greenwood.His father, Richard, stepped outside to check the noise
and found the familys dog, Buddy, being attacked by a coyote on the front lawn
of their Bradford home. The wild canine was on top of the 27-pound cockapoo,
chomping on its throat.Buddy is being treated at an animal hospital for a damaged
thorax and severe flesh loss, said Joeys mother, Barbara. The dog is not
conscious and may not survive, she said.Wednesday nights scary experience is spurring
Barbara Greenwood to warn her Bradford neighbors to keep their pets inside to
avoid Buddy's fate. I'm just concerned, she said. Her concerns are justified,
based on what wildlife officials are reporting about coyotes in the area.
Suburban sprawl has encroached on the coyote habitat, causing more sightings of
coyotes as their forests and open space disappear.Haverhill Conservation Officer Mark Sheehan said
coyote numbers also have been growing over the decades, in part because the
animals only predator human hunters are dwindling. Coyotes also are
prolific breeders, and their numbers can multiply quickly.Were taking away their only natural predator,
Sheehan said of hunters, though he said motor vehicle collisions are helping.
The population is there to grow if they are not culled out.Coyotes also enjoy living around golf courses,
which provide wooded cover to stalk prey in the open fairways, Sheehan said.
Haverhill has five 18-hole golf courses.The typical coyote is the size of a small dog but
with longer, thicker fur. The largest can weigh 50 or 60 pounds. They primarily
eat small rodents, rabbits, deer, birds, frogs and insects, but also will eat
fruits, vegetables and pet food left outdoors. They are most often spotted at
night or at dawn or dusk.It is against the law to trap and relocate coyotes, so
residents have to learn to live with the animals, said veterinarian Dr. Tumkur
Narasimhan, owner of Main Street Animal Hospital of Bradford. He occasionally
treats animals harmed by coyotes, he said.The best way to limit coyote attacks is to properly
dispose of food - do not throw food outside for wild animals to eat, and use
trash cans with lids.As long as we are good in our disposal habits, the
attacks wont happen, Narasimhan said. Animal Control Officer Michelle Hamel
said coyote sightings are commonplace in Haverhill, seen near Northern Essex
Community College, the animal shelter off Primrose Street and the Bradford
commuter train station.She said coyotes look for easy meals, often from garbage
or staking out bird feeders, where smaller animals stop to eat, she said.Sometimes they cross paths with the family pet.
They are very opportunistic animals, Hamel said. They will eat whenever food
is available.She said owners should always be aware that their pets can
be attacked by wild animals anywhere in Haverhill. Im a firm believer that
everyone should keep an eye on their pets, because you never know, Hamel said.People can easily scare away coyotes with loud
noises and bright lights, according to MassWildlife. A water hose also is
effective.The Greenwoods live on Chadwick Road, north of Chadwick
Pond in Bradford, a semirural area near the Boxford line, and said Buddy often
spent time outside at night.The attack happened at about 10 p.m.Wednesday. Joey said he was on the phone when he
heard the screaming, looked outside and saw nothing.I thought maybe it was down the street, like a
little girl or something, Joey said of the yelping.He heard the screams again so he warned his father,
Richard, who ran outside and saw the wild animal on Buddy, a cross between a
cocker spaniel and poodle.He yelled at the coyote, which ran off. He carried
the bloody and muddy dog into the house and then rushed it to Bulger Animal
Hospital in North Andover.It just seemed unreal to me, Barbara Greenwood
said of the attack. Sheehan said that in his 20 years as a conservation
professional, most coyote attacks involve cats, chickens and very small dogs,
such as Chihuahuas.That's not commonplace from what I've seen, Sheehan said
of the attack on Buddy. Very seldom do we ever see a coyote get into an
altercation with a large dog.He said the coyote may have needed extra food for a
litter of pups, or Buddy threatened it somehow.
Newton, MA -
Coyotes are being blamed for two separate attacks on dogs in the past week, one
of which was fatal. The first attack took place near the Brae Burn Country Club
in Waban. The second incident took place about four miles away near Hammond Pond
Parkway.On Thursday afternoon, a woman on
Bonnybrook Road in Waban let her small Cairn terrier out for a break in the
backyard. A few minutes later, she returned to find the dog in a coyote's mouth
with another standing nearby, police said.The pair of coyotes fled into the woods and was
chased by a neighbor wielding a broom. The neighbor chased the coyotes until
they dropped the dog, dead from the attack.Newton Police were called and the state Division of
Fisheries and Wildlife was contacted, but nothing could be done.Yesterday, a Beacon Street resident in the Hammond
Pond Parkway area heard her yellow Labrador yelp and when it came into the
house, the dog had a wound to its rear leg.The owner went outside and was able to illuminate a
pair of eyes in the woods with a flashlight; atapproximately 3 a.m., she heard coyotes howling
nearby.Newton Animal Control Officer John O'Connell said the
Bonnybrook Road incident is the only coyote attack to be confirmed, but that the
Beacon Street report seems likely as well.O'Connell said coyote attacks are rare in Newton,
but have been known to happen."Last year, between Newton and Brookline, there
were about five attacks," said O'Connell. "Bonnybrook is the first one to be
confirmed this year."O'Connell said coyotes are typically more aggressive
during this time of year as it is breeding season."Coyotes are going to be more
active," O'Connell said. "They're going to be more territorial and will
potentially get into attacks with larger dogs."What to do ...Marion Larson of the Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife said she had heard of Thursday's attack, but that the division had no
direct involvement."Statewide - I get an e-mail at least once a week (about an
attack)," said Larson of the frequency of wild animal attacks on domesticated
pets. " Probably, an animal is attacking someone's loose pet several times a
week in Massachusetts."And while Larson didn't want to alarm people, she did
provide plenty of information regarding coyotesafety."Coyotes are wild animals, and like other
wild animals they generally try to avoid people," Larson said. "What I recommend
is if you see a coyote spending a certain amount of time, or if you know of one
that hangs around, go out and run and yell and scream and holler and run
straight at them - the coyote is going to turn to leave."While Larson said she understood this seems like
"insane" behavior that it is "coyote language" for "you're not welcome to be
here."Larson said the "little things" matter when trying to deter coyotes from
an area."Our behavior is going to influence a
coyote's behavior," Larson said.So do you leave pet food outside? Do you take the
trash out the night before or the morning of pickup?It's the "little things" that a person can do like
taking the trash to the curb the morning of pickup that helps in the long run.Larson also warned that this time of year is
breeding season so larger pets, such as golden retrievers or Labradors, can be
seen by coyotes as threats to their territory."They will want to defend their area," Larson said.Still, in the end, Larson stayed with her message
of not over exaggerating a problem."There have been three documents of attacks
on people by coyotes in the last 50 years," Larson said. "I'm sure there have
been more dog bites in one year in the (city) of Newton. But I also understand
people are anxious about what they don't understand."
Christopher Loh can be reached at cloh@cnc.com.
This past week, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) received a number
of calls from concerned citizens, municipal officials and the media regarding an incident
over the past weekend involving a coyote attack on a small dog and subsequent shooting of
coyotes by local officials in Framingham. Inquiries included concerns regarding the
coyotes involved in the incident and the actions of the municipal officials. A number of
questions about coyote behavior, pet and child safety and relevant laws about coyotes have
also been fielded by MassWildlife biologists. As the state agency responsible for wildlife
in Massachusetts, MassWildlife has been working with
local officials on this incident and providing information to the public regarding coyote
behavior.
HAMILTON MA - The town Board of Health is issuing permits to
trap beavers in Miles River to relieve flooding problems the board believes are
endangering the public.The state trapping
season has already begun and will last until April. Trappers don't need a permit
to capture beavers alive but do need one to catch them in a killing trap. Forty
licenses, each valid for 10 days, will be sold. Health Board Chairman Steve
Druschel said this week the rising waters behind beaver dams in Miles River,
near Gardner Street, are causing damage to a culvert under the road. If it gets
worse, the road will have to be closed to replace the culvert. That would create
a public health risk because fire and other emergency personnel would be delayed
by going around it, Druschel said. Homeowners' septic systems are also being
threatened by the rising water. "We need to give the town a chance to get ahead
of the problem, at least for a little while," Druschel said. Under state law,
the board can issue successive 10-day permits. But even if it does, Druschel is
under no illusion that a beaver population probably numbering in the many
hundreds will be eradicated. "Beavers will be there until the food supply is
exhausted," he said. In neighboring Wenham, Animal Control Officer Michael
Kavanaugh will begin a 50-day trapping period April 1. David Standley, the
Ipswich Conservation Commission chairman who formerly headed what is now the
state Department of Environmental Protection, has long maintained that beaver
trapping is, for the most part, a fool's errand.Even if trapping were
"exhaustive," Standley said, relief would be only temporary. "For a year or so,
you probably don't have problems," he said. "But you can count on repopulation."
But Ipswich Town Manager Robert Markel said no one is talking about eliminating
the rodents. "It's a population - like the deer population - that needs to be
thinned," Markel said. 'A stupid idea' - Hamilton's Susanna Colloredo is a
founder of the Essex County Trail Association, which maintains a network of
equestrian and pedestrian trails in the region. Many sections of trails have
been affected by beavers, but she is opposed to trapping them. That's not
because she is an animal lover, but because trapping "seems like a stupid idea,"
Colloredo said. "You can't blame every problem in the Miles River on beavers,"
she said. She noted this has been a particularly wet year, making problems worse
than during a year of normal precipitation. For years, Miles River was an
important water storage area in heavy rains, carrying storm water out to the
ocean. But an invasion of non-native purple loosestrife, fueled by fertilizer
running off lawns into the river, is strangling it. The river is always full,
and when it rains there is no place for the water to go. Flooding during the
Mother's Day storm destroyed three culverts in Wenham. The cost to replace them
was $1.8 million. Hamilton Conservation Commission Chairman John Hamilton said
he is not opposed to trapping beavers "in troublesome areas," but doesn't agree
with widespread trapping. "There's a hue and cry for trapping beavers wherever
they are," Hamilton said. "But beavers are a very small part of the problem with
the Miles River." Druschel does not want all the beavers to go away - "They're
fabulous to watch" - but said human health trumps rodents in this case. "We've
had people who in good faith put septic systems in where they should have been,"
he said, "and now the beavers are threatening them." Growing pains Why are
beavers suddenly such a problem? They are native to the state but were driven
out by both trapping and deforestation. As farming ceased to be the primary
occupation, pastures slowly returned to forest. The beavers followed the trees,
but were kept in check for many years by trapping. In 1975, the steel-jawed
leg-hold trap was banned in Massachusetts, and in 1997 soft-jawed traps were
also banned. The beaver population began to explode. In 2000, the state amended
trapping laws to allow the use of Conibear, or body-gripping traps that break
beavers' backs when they snap closed. The traps can be used only when beavers
are a threat to health or safety. Beavers have litters of up to six kits every
year. They stay with their parents for two years, then go out to establish their
own territories. They can range quite far and will go wherever there is water.
Adult beavers can be up to 4 feet long from nose to tail and weigh up to 80
pounds. Even coyotes, their only possible predators, think twice about tackling
such a formidable foe, whose tail can do a lot of damage.
He was gone in an instant, snatched out of his own
backyard while his owners were nearby with another family dog. Bear, a
13-year-old, 25-pound, miniature sheltie-Chihuahua mix, was recovered an hour
later, after a panicked search through the woods near his East Harwich home,
dead from a coyote attack...
BOSTON,
MA-A dog is recovering Monday after being attacked by a
coyote in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood.NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that Butters
the Corgi will recover.On Sunday night Butters' owner, John Green,
said the dog came face to face with four coyotes during a walk at the George
Wright Golf Course. Butters was not on a leash."I believe one coyote attacked him because the
other ones were just standing off to the side," Green said.Massachusetts Society for the Protection of
Animals wildlife experts said they are trying to get the word out that
coyotes do live in the city and they will attack domestic animals."They eat all the time and they have their
young that they are trying to teach how to hunt before they disperse. Mating
season is coming up in January, February and March, and the young from this
past year will be getting ready to move on and look for their own
territory," MSPCA's Cheryl Jacobson said.Jacobson urged pet owners to keep their animals
on leashes because coyotes are afraid of humans.
Royalston, MA - A hiker spoke out Thursday about a coyote
attack in Royalston. NewsCenter 5's David Boeri reported that John Melvin, of
Gardner, is receiving rabies treatment after he was bitten by a coyote in the
town Monday."I began making my dinner. At that time, I noticed coyotes
coming down the ridge. They were across the river at that time. I didn't think
much of it," Melvin said.When Melvin saw three coyotes, he said he thought they
wouldn't cross the river. He was wrong. "That's when I looked up. I noticed the
three in the corner. I had a stick -- a long stick -- near me. I slammed it down
to scare them and that's when the one lunged on my arm and shook it like a rag
doll," Melvin said.He suffered eight puncture wounds before he sprayed the
coyote with some bear mace. "We are saying that the coyote is very much a public
threat," Royalston resident Chet Hall said.The coyote that bit Melvin was presumed to be
rabid. Signs have been posted to warn hikers. "We are suggesting that anyone in
the town of Royalston that sees a coyote in the daytime that is acting
abnormally, if they have the ability to do so, to shoot the coyote if they can,"
Hall said.Since 1992, eight people have been bitten by coyotes known
to be rabid, officials said.
By Kristen Green, Globe Correspondent | October 8, 2005
State health officials have determined that the coyote that attacked a 76-year-old
Northborough grandfather on an afternoon walk with his grandson was rabid.Arthur Cole, who was bitten multiple times,
received a rabies vaccination yesterday. Cole said he was walking with his 4-year-old
grandson, Nicholas, along a trail on the Assabet River near his home Wednesday afternoon
when the coyote jumped out of nearby brush and bit him on the rear. ''I was trying to kick her away," he said. ''She
was more agile than I was."
By Heather Allen, Globe Correspondent | May 3, 2005
Boston MA - In a quiet neighborhood atop a hill with groomed
lawns and tulips in bloom, it was the last interruption anyone expected
to the serene city setting.Late last
Thursday, minutes after he let his dog outside, David Sherris responded
to chirping behind his house in Jamaica Plain. He was horrified to see
his beloved West Highland terrier, Maggie, in the mouth of a coyote.When Sherris approached the wild animal, it dropped the 18-pound dog and
fled into the woods. The small bundle of white, shaggy hair, which
Sherris described as part of the family, did not survive.''The fact of the matter is that this is a residential area; this
should not be happening," said Sherris in the home on Neillian Crescent
that he shares with his wife and 14-month-old son. ''Additionally
shocking is that it could have been my baby. It happened in less than
five minutes."Dismayed that Maggie, his companion for 12 years, was dead, Sherris
called police to see if they could kill or trap the coyote. He was told
that under state law, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, and other wild
animals are protected.The city's Animal
Control officers searched for the coyote Thursday and Friday, but failed
to locate it or a den. Had they found it, they would have had to release
it back into its habitat, which could have been a few miles away, said
James Cahill, director of animal control in Boston.Cahill said the number of coyote sightings in the city has increased in
the past year, especially in West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and Mattapan,
which he attributed to construction in suburban areas that is forcing
coyotes to go elsewhere for food.
''Someone's going to get hurt; it's inevitable," Cahill said. ''It's out
of our control. I hope it doesn't
happen. Some little tyke is going to get
bit some day. Something could happen. I hope it never does on my watch.
Your hands are tied a little bit."Because of the pet's death, Councilor John M. Tobin Jr. announced plans
last night to go before the City Council tomorrow to seek a hearing on
the issue. Tobin said he would like representatives from animal control
and from the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to testify at the
hearing, which he hopes will happen soon.''Clearly, those laws weren't written for what's going on these days,"
said Tobin, who lives in West Roxbury and came across a coyote in his
backyard three months ago. ''With all due respect to coyotes, the law
seems to favor coyotes over people's pets or their kids. I can almost
see it in a country setting, but for a city like Boston, that's not
acceptable."To counter state law, the City Council may be forced to file a home rule
petition to change the way the law is enforced in Boston. The
Legislature would then have to vote for such a change.Reached last night for comment, a spokesman for the Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs, which oversees fisheries and wildlife,
said the agency is willing to work with lawmakers.''A proper balance always needs to be struck between public safety and
concern for protected species," said Joe O'Keefe. ''We would always be
willing to work with the Legislature on a responsible response to
concerns of Boston residents." Sherris, a consultant who works from his
house, said Maggie was sweet, curious, and loved children. She often
perched in the window and stared outside. Now, Maggie is buried in the
backyard, Sherris said, and reminders of the pet are everywhere. His
daily routine, he said, has become difficult. His wife is afraid to go
outside.Sherris said he is waiting to see what happens with the City Council
before he takes action.''The loss of this dog is just really gut-wrenching," he said. ''It's
just not been easy."
April 2005 Wilmington Massachusetts -
Reported in the 'The Lowell Sun' Newspaper
Wilmington, MA - There are some things in life that not even 17 years as a prison guard and police
officer can prepare you for. Wilmington Police Officer and former Concord prison guard
Louis Martignetti found that out the hard way Saturday when a coyote attacked his daughter
and then him while his family did yard-work at their home off Burlington Avenue.
Martignetti, his wife, 7-year-old son, Gino, and 4-year-old daughter, Tia, were outside
when the animal ran up and bit his daughter in the leg about 10 a.m. Martignetti, who was
in his shed at the time, heard his wife's screams, but at first did not know what was
going on."She started screaming something like, ‘Pick up the baby, pick up the
baby,' but it happened so quick I didn't understand what she wanted me to do," he
said. That's when he turned and saw a coyote lunge at his daughter, who only weighs
about 28 pounds, and bite her in the leg. Full Story Here
It's only the second such recorded attack in
Massachusetts; no such attacks are on record in R.I.
04:10 PM EST on Friday, February 18, 2005
The Associated Press
BARNSTABLE, MA - A Cape Cod woman who was bitten on her left hand is believed to be
the first person ever attacked by a rabid coyote in Massachusetts, according to state
wildlife officials.Cindy Parker-Kelley
was attacked by a 45-pound female coyote in the back yard of her Marstons Mills home
yesterday when she went to check on her Norwegian elkhound, Dakota. Her husband, David
Kelley, beat the coyote with a piece of lumber, and police later killed it.
By Cristina Silva, Boston Globe Correspondent | July 14, 2005
SAUGUS, MA- Kathy Sullivan returned home last week to find a coyote chasing a neighbor's
dog on her driveway. She beeped at the creature, but it just stopped and looked at her.
Sullivan tried to continue driving, but the coyote wouldn't budge.
Afraid that she was trapped in the car with her 2-year-old niece and 8-year-old
daughter, Sullivan kept honking at the coyote until it finally crossed the street and ran
up a nearby grassy hill, giving her enough time to run into the house with the children.
''I'm telling you, that thing was not afraid of me," Sullivan said yesterday.
''Somebody is going to end up getting hurt if they don't do something about this."
MASHPEE,
MA. - A security guard at a Mashpee country
club was treated for rabies as a precaution after being bitten by a coyote last week.
A guard patrolling the grounds of Willowbend Country Club was bitten
on Thursday night after apparently disturbing the coyote as it was rooting through some
bags of illegally dumped household trash for food, Mashpee's animal control officer said.
"It
was over food apparently," Officer June Daley told the Cape Cod Times. "It did
break the skin on his leg, so he was treated for rabies as a precaution." Daley did
not disclose the guard's name. Earlier this year, a Barnstable woman was bitten by a rabid
coyote in what state officials said was just the second reported coyote attack on a human
in the state. Several small dogs have disappeared in Mashpee this summer, and coyotes are
suspected. Daley cautioned dog owners to not let their dogs out without a leash, even if
the dog never leaves the yard. "Unless your back yard is enclosed with a 6-foot
fence, it's fair game for wild animals," she said. Information from: Cape
Cod Times, http://www.capecodonline.com
Sterling,
MA - Contamination of town
drinking water caused by an overflowing beaver pond may be a preview of more
widespread water-quality problems. Unless the trapping restrictions are eased,
state and local officials said yesterday. “We have a growing concern about the burgeoning
beaver populations, given the lack of natural predators and the prohibition imposed ontrapping opportunities,” said Joseph M. McGinn, director of watershed management for
the Metropolitan District Commission.“The
population is certainly expanding by leaps and bounds.”Because of the proliferation of beaver in the state’s major drinking water
supplies, the MDC has implemented beaver tracking and eradication programs at Quabbin and
Wachusett reservoirs, McGinn said.In
Sterling, where E. coli contamination was discovered in the municipal water system last
week, water tests indicated that coliform
contamination remained present in minute amounts in recent test results.“The most recent sampling was on Monday and of
12 samples, 10…. Please take a look at the article written by
Louis
Manningthen Superintendent of Public Works
for Sterling Mass. Written in 2002.
click here
By Heather Allen, Boston Globe Correspondent | May 3, 2005
Boston, MA - In
a quiet neighborhood atop a hill with groomed lawns and tulips in bloom, it was
the last interruption anyone expected to the serene city setting.Late last Thursday, minutes after he let his dog outside, David Sherris
responded to chirping behind his house in Jamaica Plain. He was horrified to see
his beloved West Highland terrier, Maggie, in the mouth of a coyote. When
Sherris approached the wild animal, it dropped the 18-pound dog and fled into
the woods. The small bundle of white, shaggy hair, which Sherris described as
part of the family, did not survive. ''The fact of the
matter is that this is a residential area; this should not be happening," said
Sherris in the home on Neillian Crescent that he shares with his wife and
14-month-old son. ''Additionally shocking is that it could have been my baby. It
happened in less than five minutes."
Present: David Lindsay, Russ Karlstad, Tim Fiehler, Pat Bensetler, Cia
Boynton, Jack Quinlan, Martha Remington, Betsy Cussen, Karen Augustine,
Conservation Commission member
Bolton, MA - Karen Augustine, Conservation Commission member stated that
the Conservation Commission has spent about $3,500 so far on the beaver
situation. Initially the Conservation Commission sent Beaver Solution
out and problem was mitigated for a while. With recent rain the level
has risen. Ms. Augustine stated that the Conservation Commission can go
back and try to extend the contract with Beaver Solutions.Mr. Quinlan took a walk through the area starting at the town
park through path at Emerson School where Playground is all flooded. A
number of saplings have been taken down by beavers. He continued walking
down the cart path passed Emerson where there is a dam with a pipe which
seems to be running pretty well. There are at least two beaver ponds and
a giant beaver dam and he does not see a pipe there. He suggested a site
walk be done. Mr. Quinlan strongly urged that beavers be taken out to
eliminate the habitat.Tim Fiehler
stated that the beaver fencing was installed and it does help to the
extent that he does not have to go down every day to pull things out.
The beavers are active and it looks as though they will be dropping some
large trees behind the historical society building soon. The historic
bridge has eroded away.Pat Bensetler
suggested taking beavers out and then cleaning up the dams. Martha
Remington, as a resident reiterated the need to get rid of the beavers
so that the dams can be taken down. Cia Oschenbein agreed with what
everyone has said. She feels we have gotten to this point because each
year the water has gotten higher and higher and the runoff has created
this huge problem. The bridge from sheep field to Emerson has huge holes
in it again.Mr. Quinlan stated the
immediate solution is to take the beaver dams down to draw the water
level down to solve the problem of flooding the properties. The Board of
Selectmen was favorable to the breaching of the dams with understanding
that it would be coordinated with the Conservation Commission and the
Board of Health.
To trap, or not to trap: Question lingers in light of beaver
problems
By Chronicle Staff
Thursday, December 30, 2004
"[Beaver population growth] feels like a larger
issue than just a matter of not trapping," said Lash. "But you do have
to thin the herd, so to speak. If populations aren't thinned by man, we
can end up with all kinds of severe issues."
The CLA, according to Lash, has reluctantly accepted trapping in an
outlet brook where beavers have, in the past few years, dammed Chebacco
Lake and caused severeflooding and health problems for lakeside
homeowners. "It's the only effective short-term management solution we
know of," said Lash, who explained the CLA has been allowed to enlist
the help of trappers using cages because of the ecologically valuable
alewife fish that spawn in the outlet brook. <
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