Malden Coyote Shot By Police Near Mill St.

The City of Malden Facebook Page has reported that the Malden coyote, sighted repeatedly throughout the city this week, has been put down. 

"We want to inform Malden residents that the Coyote that has been seen multiple times over the last few weeks has been dispatched (put down). The animal control officer received reports of the animal wandering far away from it's natural habitat and during daylight hours.

These are two characteristics of "strange behavior" which the officer deemed to be threatening to residents. Mass wildlife has been contacted to make them aware."

A decision to euthanize the animal was made after it had been repeatedly spotted during daylight hours with an apparent leg injury, Lt. George Grimes said. 

"We've been chasing this thing for the last couple of weeks," he said. "We know he's injured and, as you know, coyotes are not usually day predators, but night predators. That's one of the red flags." 

The animal was shot by police in the 100 block of Mill St., after it came out of hiding from a garage in a private residence on the street. The coyote had been seen previously in areas near Forestdale and Linden Schools. 

Though alarming some residents, coyote attacks are extremely rare, despite an increase in the urban populations of coyotes throughout the country and commonwealth.

An American is 5-6x more likely to be killed by lightning than attacked by a coyote, with "99.9 percent" exhibiting a natural fear of humans, Animal Control Officer Kevin Alkins said.