Providence and Rhode Island take a coexistence approach to urban coyotes, banning intentional feeding and recommending hazing, while RI DEM authorizes lethal removal only for documented public-safety threats.
Coyotes have established a stable urban population in Providence neighborhoods including the East Side and Federal Hill. Rhode Island DEM and the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study guide municipal response, emphasizing nonlethal hazing, securing trash, and removing food attractants. Providence Animal Control responds to sick or injured animals, while RI DEM Environmental Police handle public-safety threats. Intentional feeding of coyotes is prohibited under nuisance-wildlife rules, and pet owners should supervise small dogs and cats, especially at dawn and dusk.
Feeding coyotes or harassing officials investigating sightings can result in fines, and unsafe killing of coyotes may violate RI hunting and firearm-discharge laws.
See how Providence's coyote management rules stack up against other locations.
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