Elizabeth & Brendan

Email received at work.  I love the detail.

Dear Tenants:

We’ve got reports of several coyote sightings at the Spring Street Office Park over the past couple of weeks. According to the Lexington Animal Control Officer, Stephanie Doucette, coyote sightings are frequent in Lexington and, under normal circumstances, nothing needs to be done about it. We have also contacted Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife about this issue and confirmed that a coyote may not be removed simply because of its presence in an area, there must be damage or a threat to human safety by a specific animal. The official at the Mass Division of Fisheries & Wildlife has referred us to a website that contains a lot of useful information about coyotes and, in particular, about encounters with coyotes in urban and suburban areas.

Please click on this link http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_coyotes.htm for details.

Based on the information from this website, coyotes are typically afraid of people and their presence alone is not a cause for concern. It is actually against the law to capture a coyote and to release it somewhere else in order to remove the animal from a particular area. However, if a particular animal presents an immediate threat to human life and limb, the authorities will lethally remove such animal. Once again, please refer to the website for information on what might be considered as abnormal and dangerous behavior in a coyote.

Please remember that if an immediate threat exists to human life and limb, public safety officials including police departments and the Massachusetts Environmental Police, have the authority to respond and dispatch the animal, as stipulated in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) 2.14 that pertain to handling problem animals. This includes animals exhibiting clear signs of rabies. If possible, MassWildlife should first be contacted to authorize the lethal taking of a coyote.

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