Coyotes Are Taking Over Jamaica Plain
On the morning of February 12, somebody called 311 about a dead coyote near Forest Hills at 11:55 AM. Then at 12:18. Then 12:51. Then 1:02.
Four dead coyotes. Four separate calls. One hour and seven minutes. Same neighborhood.
Jamaica Plain has a coyote situation.
What the Data Shows
Over the last 90 days, we've logged 37 coyote reports across Boston. A disproportionate chunk concentrates in the Jamaica Plain and Forest Hills corridor, where the Arnold Arboretum, Olmsted Park, and the Southwest Corridor greenway create a connected network that coyotes use like a highway.
The February 12 cluster wasn't the beginning. There was a live sighting near Forest Hills at 3 AM on December 29. Another on December 10. A coyote rummaging through trash in JP on January 21. The territory has been claimed for months. February just made it loud.
Why February
February is coyote mating season. Paired coyotes start defending territory, ranging further from their dens, and appearing in broad daylight. Animals that normally stay invisible in the Arboretum at 2 AM start trotting down lamplit streets at noon.
Boston.com reported the spike across Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and the South End in February. NBC Boston noted the same: the population hasn't exploded, they're just moving more, and moving during hours when people can see them. Juvenile males striking out on their own compound the problem, adding fresh legs to existing territory.
The Arnold Arboretum has documented coyotes using the JP green corridor for years. Their take: "In their world, Boston is their habitat and urban humans are best left unseen." The coyotes know exactly where they are. We keep being surprised.
Meanwhile, the Rabbits
We also track rabbits. In that same 90-day window, Boston logged 179 rabbit reports. That sounds like a lot until you find out that 169 of them were dead.
We're not saying coyotes killed 169 rabbits. We're just noting that coyotes eat rabbits, that coyotes have set up shop in Jamaica Plain, and that Jamaica Plain has 169 mysteriously dead rabbits. The Arnold Arboretum even lists rabbits as a primary coyote food source. Make of that what you will.
What to Do
If you spot a coyote in JP, MassWildlife's standard guidance applies:
- Keep small pets inside at dawn and dusk, especially near park borders
- Haze it if it approaches: yell, clap, make yourself big. A healthy coyote should run.
- Don't feed them. Not intentionally. Not accidentally. Secure your trash.
- Report it via Boston 311 so we can keep the map current.
Coyote attacks on humans in Massachusetts are extremely rare. They're not here for you. They're here for your neighbor's outdoor cat and, it turns out, each other.
See the Full Map
We track every coyote sighting across Boston in real time. Zoom into Jamaica Plain and Forest Hills and the Arboretum boundary. The pattern is clearer than you'd expect.