BIDDEFORD — Educating the public about coyotes will be one of the key ways to deal with the fear of some Biddeford residents regarding recent coyote sightings within the city’s boundaries, said city officials during a meeting in the mayor’s office in City Hall on Friday.

Since the fall ”“ some say even as early as last April ”“ there have been more than the normal number of coyote sightings throughout the city, especially in the area of Cathedral Oaks, Village Lane and May Field.

“I’ve lived there 25 years,” said resident Roger Hurtubise, who lives on Village Lane, “and this year is the worse I’ve seen.”

Residents have become especially concerned about the coyotes after several were seen during the day, watching as children got off a school bus, he said.

On Dec. 27, more than 100 people gathered at the Rochambeau Club on South Street to discuss the issue.

Following the meeting, on Dec. 29, an email was sent to a number of people by area residents Kim and Gary Boisvert summarizing their feelings about the coyotes.

“We have tried to co-exist with these animals as early as April 2012, as our sightings began then,” stated the Boisverts. “These coyotes have now become ”˜desensitized’ to the presence of humans. They are now very comfortable around people and are not easily ”˜scared off.’ They have taken many of your pets as food, and unfortunately, they will continue as long as they are easy prey. As they exhaust their options for food, will they turn on us?”

In the email, the Boisverts said “relocating them is not an option,” and they want the animals killed.

A plan to work with local hunters and trappers has been put in place, said the Boisverts in an email to City Councilor Roch Angers on Wednesday.

However, city officials feel there are better ways to deal with the local coyote population, and one of those ways is to have a better understanding of the animals.

To this end, the city will hold an informational meeting for residents on Tuesday at Biddeford High School.

Plans are also in the works to create several public access shows that will be aired multiple times to better educate residents about coyotes.

On Friday, a Maine-based conservation biologist, Geri Vistein, who specializes in the study of carnivores, said there is a lot of misinformation about coyotes, an animal which is necessary for balance in the ecosystem.

“Our European ancestors wiped out carnivores,” she said, therefore people live in fear of them, “and we have no knowledge of how to deal with them.”

Through education about how to behave around coyotes, said Vistein, there is no reason to be afraid of them, and no reason to remove them from Biddeford either through killing or relocation.

Coyotes, she said, “have lived all over North America.” They are “survivors” and have been around for at least 500,000 years.

In addition, said Vistein, “Coyotes have always been able to live among people.”

The biologist described the mammals as intelligent, highly social and important predators.

They eat rodents and keep the number of many undesirable species down, said Vistein. “If you hear (coyotes) killing, they’re doing their job.”

They howl for a variety of reasons, she said, from marking their territories, to mothers’ calling for their young to come home.

Coyote territories often range from two to 32 square miles ”“ and sometimes larger, said Vistein. Their population growth is limited by the food supply in their territory, so coyote packs are small by nature.

The best way to deal with unwanted coyotes in Biddeford is through a practice called “hazing,” she said.

Mild hazing involves shouting at them and putting up one’s hands. A more aggressive form is moving aggressively toward them until they’re gone and throwing things at them.

To coexist with coyotes, people need to adapt, said Vistein.

People should avoid being seen as a source for food, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Removing bird feeders, which attract animals that attract coyotes, should help. Pet food should not be kept outside. People should also pick up fallen fruit from nearby trees and keep compost enclosed and secure.

To keep pets safe, they should be kept in sight or in a secure location and be brought in by dusk, when many coyotes begin hunting for food.

Vistein also noted that coyotes have the lowest level of rabies of any land mammal in North America, and that is normal for coyotes to be out during the day. Vistein said there haven’t been any attacks on humans by coyotes in Maine.

In addition, said Vistein, like people, coyotes have different personalities, some are shy and some, especially the young, are curious and may not have yet learned to stay away from people.

“We live in Maine, we live in the woods,” said Police Chief Roger Beaupre. “We build in areas they used to live in (yet) we expect them to move out.”

The informational meeting about coyotes in Biddeford will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the lecture hall at Biddeford High School on Maplewood Avenue.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.