Belmont's Wildlife Is Growing; Cats Lament

When evening falls, a second shift – like the night crew at a factory – reports for work.

For them, it's time to search for food and maybe once or twice a year, a mate.

For those of us who open a refrigerator or a water tap to satisfy our hunger or thirst, the wildlife that exists near us – even here in the leafy suburb of Belmont – must fight or forage daily. Sometimes we catch sight of them on the prowl, their eyes reflected like marbles in our headlights, or smell a skunk or see the litter from a rifled rubbish barrel in the morning.

Skunks, opossums, foxes, coyotes or weasels head out from their burrows when most of us are settling in for supper, recreation and sleep.

And entering this mix are the fishers, also known as fisher cats, although they belong to the weasel family. Fishers are known for their hair-raising cry and as an efficient and expert hunter of small animals such as rabbits and squirrels, as they are expert climbers.

And as fishers – the males grow to 10 to 12 pounds and reach 40 inches including their long 15-inch tail – enter the suburbs, they will add slow moving and over fed suburban house cats to their menu. Already suburban towns just to the west and north of Belmont such as Needham, Andover and Wakefield have reported cats gone missing as fisher presence in those communities rise.

One thing is for sure; wild animals are here to stay.

John Maguranis, has been on the job for nine years, after retiring after 20 years in the U.S. Army, his last assignment as a veterinary assistant.  Belmont Patch talked recently with Magarunis about fishers, coyotes, and all the other "critters" with which we share our streets and parks.

Belmont Patch: Fishers – which seldom eat fish, but rely on squirrels, rabbits and mice – have made a comeback in New England, along with the coyote. How can we learn to live with them?"

Maguranis: Both are interesting animals and so different. Both survive by eating nearly anything. The fisher is solitary except in mating season. Coyotes are social and usually belong to a small family.

Again, the public would do itself good to learn more about these animals. Education is key. I know this is happening because we get fewer calls about sightings. Wild animals can peacefully coexist with humans as long as we follow simple, common sense rules. 

For example, never feed wildlife; keep your outdoor spaces cleaned up from trash; leash and vaccinate your pets, cats, again, should never be let out alone; and familiarize yourself with basic behaviors of animals.

Q: There are more sightings of wild animals in our neighborhoods. Certainly cats that used to wander our streets do so at considerable risk. How should we react to what some might consider an intrusion?

A: People need to be more compassionate. We have to realize that Massachusetts loses on average 40 acres a day to development. There's a whole lot of wildlife in 40 acres and they're trying to survive like the rest of us in an ever-shrinking world.  Wildlife takes care of itself; it gets messed up when we alter the ecology. That's one reason they are coming to our neighborhoods. Because of this, I don't recommend letting cats out anymore.

Q: What should we do when we see animals near our houses?

A: Enjoy them. When people see a coyote, deer, fisher, weasel or fox in their backyard, don't get scared unless the animal appears aggressive. Instead take the opportunity to snap some pictures! Get your kids involved and look-up the critter you saw and learn about it. Wildlife viewing can be a great family activity and the more you learn about the animals you see around your home, the less you'll fear them.

Q: If predator populations grow to more than the food supply can support, do you see a day when trapping or hunting coyotes and fishers will be encouraged?

A: Wild animals are self-regulating. When population numbers of prey species drop, predators usually have fewer litters to accommodate this. I don't support trapping whatsoever, nor do I support hunting in an environment like Belmont. Animal Control is capable of dealing with almost any wildlife issue.

Q: One of the more difficult parts of your job is dealing with road kill or injuries, collisions between our technology and the wild.

A: Three or four animals each month are struck and killed on the town's streets. Once in a while the injured animals have to be euthanized, that is, killed, to save them from further suffering. If the animal can be saved, I take them to the nearest veterinary facility. Coyotes, for example, which can live sevenn to 10 years, have a fairly high mortality rate in dense urban areas due to traffic.

Animal Control is also concerned about orphaned animals. There are shelters that will nurse the young and then send them back to the wild. This year I've rescued 11-orphaned skunks, four raccoons, an opossum, two coyote pups and three ducklings from a sewer on Concord Avenue. Frankly, I can't remember them all.