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Coyotes

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Move Over, Coyotes; Bobcats Arrive In Belmont

The cat is hard to find – it's shy – but is active at night hunting rabbits, deers and ... cats!

It appears that bobcats have decided to make Belmont Hill home. A Rutledge Road resident spotted its new neighbor on Monday, marking the third time (once on Pleasant Street and another time on the Lexington line along upper Concord Avenue) in the past year the relatively shy animal – it is a cat – has been seen wandering the neighborhood of high-end homes and woodlands.  "They're beautiful, beautiful animals. They're gorgeous," said Belmont Animal Control Officer John Maguranis in a Boston Globe story. A North American-relative to the lynx, the bobcat will be a handsome addition to Belmont Hill wildlife scene with its gray-to-brown spotted coat, black-tufted ears, an expressive ruff-filled whiskered face and its distinctive black-tipped "…

V O P

5:59 am on Sunday, January 27, 2013

Memo to Mary T: I am a dog lover. My small dogs have been attacked by unleashed dogs. Unleashed dogs are EVERYWHERE in the open space on the hill. Our beloved ACO is not physically able to venture too far from his van-so you will not see him spending an afternoon on the trails up at the Habitat !! Why do we have an ACO who can not venture into the woods ? A good question.   more ›

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Yo, Coyotes! Belmont's Now Tracking You Online

An innovative interactive mapping page will allow residents to input info, locate where coyotes have been. Animal Control hopes software will be used by residents to learn more about native hunter.

They can run but now it will be a bit more difficult for Belmont's coyote population to hide as the town's animal control officer and IT department have collaborated to develop an innovative on-line coyote tracker for residents' use. Employing software developed by an Arlington software company, residents will soon be able to upload information onto a mapping website that will show where and when a coyotes has been sighted in Belmont. "I think the more people are involved, they can better understand the situation with coyotes," said John Maguranis, Belmont's animal control officer. Currently, residents can only input information on any sightings onto a map or through a drop list of town addresses, said Maguranis. But according to Todd …

John Maguranis

8:21 am on Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The coyote tracking map that allows viewers to see all the coyote sightings recorded is now up and running! Visit the Animal Control homepage at: http://www.belmont-ma.gov/Public_Documents/BelmontMA_AnimalCtrl/index scroll down and follow the instructions. This is a great tool for residents and will provideuseful data for coyote management. Have fun with it!   more ›

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Coyote Attacks Dog On Clifton St., Sightings Increase

With pups in dens, residents should expect more sightings as males are foraging far and wide.

A coyote attacked a dog on Clifton Street during daylight hours last week that left both a dachshund and a young woman going through a series of shots as a precaution to contacting rabies, according to a police report.  But suggestions made by the veterinarian for the resident – whose dog was bitten and whose daughter came in contact with the attacker's saliva, according to police – who called the coyote's actions "unusual" and the animal "possibly rabid" was most likely incorrect, according to Belmont's Animal Control Officer. "That is bogus information," said John Maguranis, who works out of the town's Health Department. He said since rabies is a fatal virus, the shots are being given as a  "precaution" since the animal has not been …

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David Ertischek

3:08 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Ed, While I am not a registered tracker, I do enjoy the hobby. From my experience, if a coyote is removed, gets killed or what have you - two more show up. Sometimes a third. Coyotes usually follow human paths so you can track them easier than some other mammals. Their paw prints are unique and different from dogs. Not to sound too much like a tree hugger, but there continues to be building in …   more ›

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