I've received some reports in the last few days that indicate sustained coyote presence around JP. As one commenter reported, the animals seem "unabashed" and are coming quite close to people.
I don't know if sightings actually have picked up, or if more people are turning to my site. But either way, it seems that coyotes are staying around JP, at least for the time being.
My interest in local coyotes continues mostly to be academic, but given the now-apparent potential for close contact, I'd feel remiss not to provide some guidance on human-coyote interaction.
"Living With Coyotes" is a page on Dr. Jonathan Way's site about Eastern Coyote Research. Way offers a partial info sheet on the animals and some advice and guidelines for safe interaction.
Way's page should be most useful for those people already accepting of (or resigned to) the fact that coyotes are a part of the neighborhood. For those who want the animals gone, this site on coyote hunting might be more appropriate, if a bit distasteful. I include it only for the sake of balance.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Updated Coyote Sightings
After several months of comments with reported sightings around Jamaica Plain, I've finally updated the interactive map on Jamaicaplaincoyotes.com. Thanks to everyone who wrote in.
I received an impressive number of reports, for sightings as far back as 2007 and as recent as this past Sunday (Jan. 4). There are now 16 paws on the map, for 17 total sightings (two sightings, at South St. and Bussey St., were so close together that I gave them one marker. But both sightings are described).
Many of the sightings seem to have been late at night, with the coyotes spotted only fleetingly from a moving vehicle.
I've provided descriptions of the sightings mostly paraphrasing what was given to me. I did my best to figure out where the sightings occurred, but some of the paw markers on the map are approximate locations. If a someone said their sighting was on a street between two locations, for example, I just marked the midpoint between the locations. If anyone notices an error in the spot of their sighting, please let me know, and I'll fix it at once.
I hope to learn of more sightings soon. This time I won't wait six months to post the locations.
I received an impressive number of reports, for sightings as far back as 2007 and as recent as this past Sunday (Jan. 4). There are now 16 paws on the map, for 17 total sightings (two sightings, at South St. and Bussey St., were so close together that I gave them one marker. But both sightings are described).
Many of the sightings seem to have been late at night, with the coyotes spotted only fleetingly from a moving vehicle.
I've provided descriptions of the sightings mostly paraphrasing what was given to me. I did my best to figure out where the sightings occurred, but some of the paw markers on the map are approximate locations. If a someone said their sighting was on a street between two locations, for example, I just marked the midpoint between the locations. If anyone notices an error in the spot of their sighting, please let me know, and I'll fix it at once.
I hope to learn of more sightings soon. This time I won't wait six months to post the locations.
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