Middletown Officials Call for Island-Wide Coyote Plan

Satisfied the town's coyote management plan is on course, Middletown officials are proposing that Portsmouth and Newport also consider similar practices for island-wide, uniform protocols.

In its review of a from state Senator Lou DiPalma Monday night on the town’s response to aggressive coyotes and increasing populations, the il requested that its newly adopted coyote management plan be forwarded to the two other island communities.

The hope is that officials in Newport and Portsmouth will consider adopting similar new protocols to deal with problem coyotes that pose threats to humans, farm animals and pets, as well as similar management practices to peacefully coexist with all other coyotes.

As part of its long-term solution, Middletown recently adopted for anyone caught feeding coyotes and also obtained the authority for local police to enforce such fines. A short-term part of the plan has included the targeted hunting of the aggressive "problem" coyotes by an authorized hunter who so far has

Town Councilor Christopher Semonelli on Monday night recalled how as the coyote population surged and more encounters and lost pets were being reported. He recalled being approached in supermarkets by upset residents with such stories.

“I think we were in a serious situation,” Semonelli said. He added that  he hopes the long-term plan for peaceful coexistence will help keep the coyote population in check.

Middletown Town Council President Art Weber credited State Senator Lou DiPalma and state Representative Deb Ruggiero for providing the “muscle” from the state needed to quickly pull together the different agencies and experts to gather residents’ growing concerns and agree on a coyote management plan.

Central to the long-term plan is the elimination of food subsidies from humans and dead deer, road kill and farm animal carcasses that enable packs to grow quickly.

DiPalma presented the at the Middletown Town Council meeting Monday night.

He called for “cautious optimism and careful monitoring” of the ongoing situation and the town’s response.

“Facts and data will tell us how good of a job was accomplished,” DiPalma said.

Unlike this year that brought out hundreds of residents to address the coyote issue and speak out for and against the only one resident spoke out Monday night on the issue.

Middletown resident Ken Cordeiro criticized Middletown’s overall response and long-term coexistence plan as not being aggressive enough.

“I think this policy of yours is absolutely ridiculous,” Cordeiro said. “These are predatory animals and they are reproducing, and you’re not doing anything about it, and you’re telling us we have to live with it.”

When asked by Councilor Bruce Long to be more detailed about his concerns, Cordeiro responded, “The people of Middletown shouldn’t have to conform their lives to a predatory animal…We live on an island. These animals should be terminated. All gone.”

Related Topics: Coyotes, Dr. Numi Mitchell, Middletown Town Council, and Sen. Lou DiPalma