Anxiety over coyotes grows in Nahant

NAHANT – Despite reassurances from a state wildlife biologist, some town residents remain afraid coyotes are becoming more aggressive and could attack children in town.Animal Control Officer Michael Kairevich shared their concern about the animals, which he said are becoming more brazen.He told The Daily Item about an encounter he had with a coyote in August.?I was checking a baited trap I had set for raccoons that were getting into a house in Little Nahant and there was a very large coyote there. He arched his back and showed me his teeth. I got the hell out of there,” Kairevich said.His comments come after a selectmen’s meeting last week where several residents expressed concern about the animals, which have been spotted in almost every area of town.Resident Paul Caira said he spoke with Police Chief Robert Dwyer on Friday morning and told him the coyotes should be removed.?I’m not an advocate of killing the animals,” Caira said. “But I want the state to find a way to legally trap them, remove them and relocate them elsewhere in the state.”Caira is concerned there is not a sufficient food supply in town for the animals and that if the coyotes are starving, they will view people as a food source.?Their food supply is dwindling in town,” Caira said. “Our cat was killed by a coyote and these animals are eating domestic pets. I don’t know what these animals will do if they are starving. Will they migrate across the Causeway back to Lynn or will they try to feed on people if they are starving.”At the selectmen’s meeting, Maolis Road resident Gerard Alimenti, who has young grandchildren, also expressed concern about the animals attacking children.Selectman Richard Lombard agreed the coyotes need to be removed.?The bottom line is I want the coyotes removed,” Lombard said. “Winter is coming and their food supply is gone. The coyotes are going to go after everything and coyotes going after little kids is my biggest concern.”Lombard noted the police chief has the authority to shoot the animals if the coyotes pose a danger.?The chief believes the expert and doesn’t believe there is a danger,” Lombard said. “I just hope if the coyotes become a danger they are shot before something happens and someone gets hurt.”State Sen. Thomas McGee, D-Lynn, said his primary concern is safety.?The coyotes are clearly a danger to cats and other animals,” he said. “The next question is does it pose a threat to people. We need to make sure things don’t escalate to where it poses a danger to people.”McGee said he would check with state agencies and wildlife specialists to see what additional steps, if any, should be taken.The Massachusetts Audubon Society Web site reports that until the 1998 attack on a child in Sandwich, there had not been a single attack by a coyote on a human on the East Coast.