The town of Nahant, Massachusetts, took bold steps to remove aggressive coyotes last year, but pet owners said the wild animals have not gone away.
After another dog was killed by a coyote over the weekend, some in town are calling on officials to take more action.
At 15 years old, Chris Del Dotto knew his dog, JJ, did not have much time left. But he never thought it would end like this. He was just getting back from walking the silky terrier Saturday night, when a coyote attacked and killed the 11-pound dog right in front of him.
“The whole thing was just heart-wrenching and horrible,” Del Dotto said. “I heard the dog scream and the coyote was right there.”
JJ is just the latest victim in what has become an ongoing problem in Nahant. Coyotes have killed so many pets that the town brought in federal sharpshooters last year to help eliminate them. They were only able to kill one coyote.
“It’s happened again. They need to come in here and take out more than one of them. They need to take out a bunch of them,” Del Dotto said.
Town Administrator Antonio Barletta said that Nahant is looking into what can be done, but that the state has to authorize any action.
“To me, it’s a public safety threat for our town,” he said. “I’ll be working with MassWildlife to figure out what our next steps are going to be.”
Barletta said before this latest incident, the town had not received a report of aggressive coyote behavior in months. He also said this is the time of year when the animals are protecting their pups, which can make them even more territorial.
Del Dotto said until there is action, he is telling every pet owner he knows about a JJ, hoping to remind them not to let their guard down.
“Something needs to be done. The state needs to do something. Enough is enough,” Del Dotto said.
