Until a coyote killed her Yorkshire terrier two weeks ago, Newton resident Deb Toyias had never given a thought to state trapping laws. Today, even she’s a little surprised to find herself campaigning for the passage of a bill before the Legislature that would open up the range of traps state authorities are allowed to use to catch problem wildlife.
“It’s really created an awareness in me,’’ she said. “What can we do about this? Look what’s happening; do I have to live with this?’’
Though Toyias was accustomed to seeing coyotes around her Randlett Park home, she said, she was shocked when, at 6:30 a.m. Oct. 3, a coyote jumped out of bushes in the yard and snatched her dog, Cody.
The incident scared local residents, more than 60 of whom showed up for a meeting last Wednesday at the Police Department’s headquarters, where city and state environmental officials tried to calm fears that small children could be next.
Representatives from the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, and the city’s animal control office assured residents that coyote attacks on humans are exceptionally rare: There have been four confirmed incidents since Eastern coyotes showed up in Massachusetts nearly 60 years ago, they said. Attacks on pets, they said, while unfortunate, are normal coyote behavior.
But many residents wanted a more aggressive response, and some think that the trap bill, which could be up for a vote on Beacon Hill before spring, might be the answer. Toyias said she is starting a petition, and wants to set up a task force to start getting people involved and educating them about the proposed law.
In 1996, the Wildlife Protection Act banned body-gripping traps on the grounds that they are inhumane. That left state officials with box traps, which are big and bulky and catch about one coyote a year in Massachusetts. This means that to remove a coyote, officials typically have to shoot it. Shooting wild animals in densely populated areas like Newton can be dangerous, and officials do it only as a last resort.
House Bill 3315 in part would allow officials to use newer and more humane body-holding traps to catch problem coyotes; the animals could be captured without endangering the public, and officers would then dispose of them in a controlled setting.
“Wildlife can be a problem if it’s not properly managed,’’ said state Representative Anne Gobi, a Democrat from Spencer who is sponsoring the proposed change. “What the bill would do is modify the trapping law. It would give municipalities, towns, and property owners more options to address any conflicts that they have, and do it in a safe, state-regulated way.’’
