How many should we keep here?

After attacks, Framingham has license to kill coyotes
By Norman Miller/ MetroWest Daily News
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - Updated: 07:34 AM EST

In a coyote counterattack, Framingham animal control officers are killing the wild animals to keep them from attacking pets.




Assistant Animal Control Officer Joe Shepherd tracked a pack of coyotes into a wooded area near the Sudbury River on Sunday and shot all four of them, Framingham Police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany said.




“It’s in the best interest of the public and it supersedes the rights of the coyotes to circulate in the neighborhood where there are pets and small children,” said Shastany.




Shooting coyotes is not allowed unless they are considered a public safety concern, according to Colleen Olfenbuttel, a wildlife biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.




In Framingham’s case, it looks as if the shooting was justified.




On Saturday, a coyote attacked and killed a 13-year-old cocker-shih tzu in the back yard of a Perry Henderson Road home. The dog was owned by Eileen and Robert White.




Eileen White said the coyote’s deaths will make the neighborhood safer.




“Oh great. I am happy. I’m so glad,” she said.




It is not unusual for a coyote to attack and kill small household animals, said Scott Giacoppo, deputy director of advocacy of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals.