Woman climbs tree to escape coyotes - Near Boston!

[Tom Rankin]

This happened near Saugus, MA

"A woman hiking on a Massachusetts reservation says coyotes surrounded her and her dog, forcing her to climb a tree to safety."

Full article: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/15/woman-climbs-tree-to-escape-coyotes-at-reservation.html

 

[JoshandBaron]

This happened near Saugus, MA

"A woman hiking on a Massachusetts reservation says coyotes surrounded her and her dog, forcing her to climb a tree to safety."

Full article: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/15/woman-climbs-tree-to-escape-coyotes-at-reservation.html

Friendly yearly reminder that it's pup season so they are more actively hunting day and night.

She only saw a single coyote that was 400 feet away but she is convinced there was a pack surrounding her? Coyotes don't hunt in packs and 400 feet isn't exactly a threat. Fox News strikes again.

 

[nartreb]

How do you even see 400 feet in Breakheart reservation, other than in winter? Was the coyote on the opposite side of the pond? Or somebody typed an extra "0" after "40"?

That she saw it at all is a sign they're getting bolder. I saw one crossing my street yesterday around noon, carrying off a woodchuck. Given that we have a dog about the size of a woodchuck, I'll be extra cautious about letting her out until the fence is fully repaired.

 

[skiguy]

Or was it a Coywolf? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd18fLEf_Cw

 

[richard]

The news of what the woman reported to police was accurate. She said 400 feet !

 

[Tom Rankin]

Friendly yearly reminder that it's pup season so they are more actively hunting day and night.

She only saw a single coyote that was 400 feet away but she is convinced there was a pack surrounding her? Coyotes don't hunt in packs and 400 feet isn't exactly a threat. Fox News strikes again.

From http://www.coyotesmarts.org/coyotes101/ "Coyotes normally hunt alone or in pairs and rarely as a pack, unless the prey is a deer or other large animal." Like a Human?

 

[Grey J]

And the coyote responded, "Fake news, witch hunt."

 

[richard]

And the coyote responded, "Fake news, witch hunt."

The coyote must be paying attention . Obviously well informed.

 

[sierra]

The coyote was later spotted unpacking a crate with ACME stamped on the side. Rumors he pulled out a catapult and dynamite remained unconfirmed.

 

[DougPaul]

Coyotes don't hunt in packs and 400 feet isn't exactly a threat. Fox News strikes again.

Actually, coyotes do (at least occasionally) hunt in packs. For instance, they have been observed hunting deer in packs. In the absence of wolves (exterminated by humans) they have been getting bigger and moving into the vacant niche.

They have also been reported to be interbreeding with wolves in/from SE Canada.

Doug

 

[Raven]

Curious. When is the last confirmed fatal attack of an adult human by a coyote in the US? I recall a young child in the 80's.

Not to make light, but to maintain perspective, I highly recommend checking for ticks and cutting back on sugar and processed foods.

 

[TCD]

Fox News strikes again.

Not sure what this means, other than a political comment that doesn't belong here. We can quibble about the thought processes of the person involved, but it looks like the news outlet reported what she said happened.

Curious. When is the last confirmed fatal attack of an adult human by a coyote in the US? I recall a young child in the 80's.

Not to make light, but to maintain perspective, I highly recommend checking for ticks and cutting back on sugar and processed foods.

I think the last fatal attack was the one in Maine in 2009.

And I agree, there are more important dangers to mitigate. Wear seat belts and stop smoking are a couple more on that list.

 

[jfb]

http://wnyt.com/news/coyote-attack-victim-fort-edward-washington-county/4578441/

 

[DougPaul]

Curious. When is the last confirmed fatal attack of an adult human by a coyote in the US? I recall a young child in the 80's.

There was a fatal attack in Nova Scotia in 2009: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/coyotes-kill-toronto-singer-in-cape-breton-1.779304 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Mitchell. According to the second reference, this is the only known fatal coyote attack in Canada.

Such attacks are very rare, however, coyotes are living among humans and becoming habituated. As with bears, they probably become more dangerous once they lose their fear of humans. (Coyotes are very adaptable and populations have been expanding since wolves have been eliminated from many areas.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote_attacks_on_humans

In the incident near Boston, the coyote was likely more interested in the dog rather than the human. (She climbed the tree, leaving her dog on the ground according to a TV news report...) Most humans have little training in how to react to a coyote and she may have overreacted. The incident was certainly [over?] hyped in the local news media. (Not just by Fox...)

The 1981 death of a 3-year old is reported in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote_attacks_on_humans#Fatal_attacks

Co-Existing with Coyotes https://www.mspca.org/animal_protection/co-existing-with-coyotes/


Doug

 

[Grey J]

Of course, there was this well known case in Australia, made famous by the line in a subsequent movie, "A dingo ate my baby" involving the failure of many to believe the story of a young mother, Lindy Chamberlain, that her baby was taken by a dingo. And a dingo is kind of like a coyote with an Aussie accent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Azaria_Chamberlain

 

[CaptCaper]

Crazy story.. full of holes.. WHDH-TV reports the woman was with her Labrador at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus on Tuesday when they encountered coyotes and she fled up a tree. Encountered is the key.. and staring only at the dog..

Seems to me that women is a Prima Donna so to speak ..and exaggerating what really when down or probably imagined she was in a attack situation.

 

[TCD]

There was a fatal attack in Nova Scotia in 2009: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/coyotes-kill-toronto-singer-in-cape-breton-1.779304 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Mitchell.

Yes, the Taylor Mitchell incident was the one I was remembering, I just mistakenly had it Maine rather than NS.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Or was it a Coywolf? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd18fLEf_Cw

All coyotes around here are "coywolfs." Just another name for the Eastern Coyote. They bred with dogs and wolves on their way over here.

She probably walked near a den full of pups and the mother was running interference.

 

[peakbagger]

A bit of an aside, but have met two folks who have elected to climb trees to avoid moose during the rut.

 

[TJsName]

A bit of an aside, but have met two folks who have elected to climb trees to avoid moose during the rut.

I used to climb trees to get away from people, and those things are super dangerous.