Fairhaven Animal Control Officer: Remove Food to Keep Coyotes on the Move

A concerned resident of the Fairhaven-Acushnet area reached out to us to share his concern about a pack of coyotes that appeared to be getting a little too comfortable around people.

The message came in via our app, complete with a photo.

“(A) pack of up to seven coyotes living near the North Fairhaven/Acushnet town line,” the message stated. “Coyotes are becoming very domesticated. Town seems to do nothing about it.”

We reached out to Fairhaven Animal Control Officer Terry Cripps to find out what, if anything, could be done.

“I have not been made aware of this particular ‘pack’ but there are coyotes in pretty much most sections of Fairhaven,” he said. “They will only enter our neighborhoods for one reason: food.”

He said even if people aren’t intending to feed coyotes, they may inadvertently do so by feeding other wild animals.

“A lot of people will put food outside to feed feral cats, so not only will coyotes come for that food, they will also come for the cats themselves,” he said. “If we remove the food source, the coyotes will move on.”

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As for “the town” doing anything about the coyotes, Cripps said animal control cannot intervene with wildlife.

“Only MassWildlife can lawfully deal with these issues and they will only do so if they become a danger,” he said.

MassWildlife offers lots of information about living with and dealing with the eastern coyote.

“Help keep coyotes wild by scaring or threatening coyotes in your yard with loud noises, bright lights, or water sprayed from a hose,” MassWildlife writes. “Coyotes that have become dependent on human-associated food can become habituated and exhibit bold behavior toward people.”