I read if first in the Boston Globe. Does that make the story OK?
We used to have coyotes come into our yard often. Always a pack of 5-8 of them at any time. If they weren't hunting, were they just hanging out together?
Woman climbs tree to escape coyotes - Near Boston!
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I read if first in the Boston Globe. Does that make the story OK?
We used to have coyotes come into our yard often. Always a pack of 5-8 of them at any time. If they weren't hunting, were they just hanging out together?
JoshandBaron
Well-known member
Sensationalizing normal everyday things is their MO. There really is nothing to see here.
I should say they *rarely* hunt in packs. The norm is for them to hunt by themselves or in pairs, especially in developed areas where there are other sources of food readily available for far less effort. You'll see them come together to defend territory from other packs.
Tom_Murphy
Member
Hahahaha, I was on a bushwhack to the Whitewall summit a few summers ago and heard other people talking. My first instinct was to hide.
It was a surreal moment. Intellectually I knew these were fellow bushwhackers who I would, most likely, enjoy meeting but the impulse to avoid them was overpowering.
Well put. This author supports what your saying. http://scitechconnect.elsevier.com/eastern-coyotes-hybrids-coywolf/
Who, the Globe? They generated the story originally. Maybe the local news channel.
I don't claim to know what the coyotes that were always coming through my yard were doing. Just that there was a "gang" of them. The sounds I'd hear at night were pretty frightening, along with the gnawed on bones I'd find later.
JoshandBaron
Well-known member
Right. The original stories, like much of the national news media, were taken from local sources. So, I assume you have an issue with the original news source then?
richard
Member
It didn’t say that. It said that she was surrounded and then climbed up a tree. Typical misinterpretation. I feel they generally get it right.
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JoshandBaron
Well-known member
I suppose I do? The media blowing up this subject specifically always rubs me the wrong way. It's always a big bad wolf, run and hide, what about the children analysis. In reality this woman probably walked by an active den during pup season with her off leash dog. People should obviously be aware that coyotes are out there but the fear mongering is absurd. This woman probably reacted the way she did because of the way the media portrays these animals.
JoshandBaron
Well-known member
First line of the article: "A woman hiking on a Massachusetts reservation says coyotes surrounded her and her dog, forcing her to climb a tree to safety."
richard
Member
Exactly. And 1 (one) of them was 400 ft. Away.
JoshandBaron
Well-known member
She only saw one.
richard
Member
SAUGUS, Mass. – A woman hiking on a Massachusetts reservation says coyotes surrounded her and her dog, forcing her to climb a tree to safety. Coyotes, plural. Typical “spin”. Make it seem different than what it is.
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TCD
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Maybe this is in fact what she said. I wasn't there; I'm not going to pretend to know.
When it's one's job to report the truth, a higher standard should be expected.
David Metsky
Well-known member
Mod Note
I don't think nitpicking the details of the wording of the news reports is adding anything to the discussion here. Please drop that part of the conversation.
I don't think nitpicking the details of the wording of the news reports is adding anything to the discussion here. Please drop that part of the conversation.
Perhaps it’s a matter of perception for this women. Wether the press is sensationalizing this event or not maybe it’s just a case of being in a more urban area. Who knows what her prior experiences are. Has she been on Safari or climbed 8000 meter peaks and seen yetis and what not before. It’s entirely possible she is only a suburban citizen that has limited outdoor experience along with very little exposure to wild animals. Therefore maybe she reacted in a way she thought appropriate based upon her prior experiences.
griffin
Active member
This. The first time my dog and I encountered a coyote in the Middlesex Fells, I had no idea that so many of them lived in the area, had no expectation or running into one in what I felt to be a fairly urbanized setting, and certainly no idea of how worried to be or what to do. Had it not run away from us, chances are good that my initial response might...not have been optimal.
JoshandBaron
Well-known member
http://http://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-why-coyotes-seem-be-everywhere-2#stream/0
"To be fair the fear and anger directed coyotes also comes from the documented attacks on domestic pets. The fact is that coyotes feed on small mammals, and as generalists that sometimes means domestic cats and dogs. Schadler says the best thing we can do for coyotes is educate them. And the best time to educate them is mid- to late-May as the juveniles are emerging from their dens. “They are naïve; they will wander up people's driveways and into people's backyards and try to play with people's dogs, kids, cats. People should haze them by chasing them being loud and making it uncomfortable for those coyotes to be anywhere near their backyard.” This will condition the coyotes to fear humans and steer well clear of us."
"To be fair the fear and anger directed coyotes also comes from the documented attacks on domestic pets. The fact is that coyotes feed on small mammals, and as generalists that sometimes means domestic cats and dogs. Schadler says the best thing we can do for coyotes is educate them. And the best time to educate them is mid- to late-May as the juveniles are emerging from their dens. “They are naïve; they will wander up people's driveways and into people's backyards and try to play with people's dogs, kids, cats. People should haze them by chasing them being loud and making it uncomfortable for those coyotes to be anywhere near their backyard.” This will condition the coyotes to fear humans and steer well clear of us."
I encountered a coyote last fall at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. When it crossed my path, I was initially annoyed that someone let their dog off leash and it slipped silently into the shrubbery before I realized that it was actually a coyote. Evidently there is an established year-round population: https://mountauburn.org/coyotes-at-mount-auburn/
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