Timorous Tiny Town Gets Feds to Shoot Their Coyotes

There are 3500 humans living in Nahant, Massachusetts as well as about a dozen coyotes. The latter are terrorizing the former with such ferocity that the townspeople have asked the government to bring in guns.

To date, no humans have been harmed by the coyotes, but small pets have been disappearing and even leashed dogs have been attacked while their owners look on in horror. In December, the town’s Board of Selectmen voted to enlist federal sharpshooters to track and kill the menacing coyotes.

Nahant is small – a little over 15 square miles – and isolated, connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. The dense human population and the lack of an exit route for the coyotes makes for interaction and conflict it seems.

Not everyone loves the idea of bringing in guns. “If the town brings in sharpshooters, it’s going to be a bloodbath,” resident Francene Amari-Faulkner tells the New York Times,“because then other towns will say, ‘We can do that too.’”

Until now the sensible strategy has been for humans to keep their cats indoors, their dogs on a leash, and “haze” any lurking coyotes. Hazing means to make noise, spray water, throw sand or gravel, bang pots and pans — anything to convince the coyote it’s unwelcome. Some dog owners have invested in $100 “coyote jackets” for their pets, vests studded with spikes to emphasize the point: keep away.

But this month the feds will be coming to town with guns. Fearless volunteers from the  Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services will perform the bloody business after dark, using night-vision equipment. Wow. Bring it on boys. How about some tanks and don’t forget to post your favorite shots.   

Photo credit: Sophie Park for The New York Times