BEVERLY — A Beverly police officer said he gunned his cruiser between a woman and a rapidly charging coyote to prevent the animal from attacking her in St. Mary's Cemetery two weeks ago.

Patrolman Gene Bettencourt said he grabbed the woman and got her safely into her van as the coyote ran off into the woods.

"If I wasn't there, who knows what that thing would've done to that lady," he said.

Police say the city's animal services department trapped an 80-pound coyote in the cemetery last Friday and had the animal euthanized by a veterinarian. Patrolman John McCarthy, the department spokesman, said police can't be certain it was the same coyote, but there have been no reports of coyotes in the area since then.

"If somebody does see one, call us at the station," McCarthy said.

Bettencourt said he was on routine patrol in St. Mary's Cemetery on Nov. 15 when a man walking his dog told him he saw a "huge animal" on the hill at the back of the Brimbal Avenue cemetery. When Bettencourt drove up the hill, "I couldn't believe my eyes," he said.

"It almost looked like a wolf," he said.

As Bettencourt called the police station to report the coyote sighting, a woman got out of a green van and walked toward a gravestone. The coyote then took off and started running toward the woman, he said.

"I said to the dispatcher, 'I gotta go. The coyote's charging a lady.' I drove my Charger to cut it off. I jumped out and grabbed the lady and got her back in her van. She took off, and the coyote bolted into the wooded area."

Bettencourt said the coyote stopped about 40 to 50 feet away when he pulled his cruiser in front of the woman.

After the incident, the city's animal services department planted a trap that is designed to pull a leash around an animal's neck as it is feeding. Last Friday, Bettencourt found a coyote caught in the trap in the cemetery, unhurt.

McCarthy said the coyote was taken to a veterinarian and euthanized.

Beverly Animal Services Officer James Lindley said coyotes are known to attack cats and small dogs but rarely pose a threat to humans.

"The way it charged that woman is not ordinary," he said.

Lindley said he doubted the coyote had rabies because a rabid animal would stand its ground and fight instead of fleeing.

Lindley said he and police have fielded many calls regarding coyote sightings in recent weeks. He said there has been a group of seven coyotes in the Sohier Road area and two or three more around St. Mary's Cemetery, but it's difficult to know exactly how many are in the city.

"It's really hard to put a count on them," he said. "They cover so much territory."

According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Web site, the eastern coyote moved into the central and western regions of Massachusetts in the 1950s and now lives in every town in Massachusetts, except on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Coyotes can reach weights of 50 to 60 pounds, but their weight can be easily overestimated because of their thick fur, according to the Web site. Dogs, red foxes and gray foxes are often mistaken for coyotes.

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Massachusetts Environmental Police Department are assisting Lindley in monitoring the situation, he said. Anyone who spots a coyote should call police at 978-922-1212.

Avoid conflicts with coyotes

Don't let coyotes intimidate you. Don't hesitate to scare or threaten coyotes with loud noises and bright lights, or pick up small objects, such as a tennis ball, and throw them at the coyote. If a garden hose is close at hand, spray the coyote in the face with water. Let the coyote know it is unwelcome in your area.

Secure your garbage. Coyotes will raid open trash materials and compost piles. Secure your garbage in tough plastic containers with tight-fitting lids and keep in secure buildings when possible. Take out trash the morning pickup is scheduled, not the previous night. Keep compost piles in containers designed to contain but vent the material.

Don't feed or try to pet coyotes. Keep wild things wild. Feeding, whether direct or indirect, can cause coyotes to act tame and over time may lead to bold behavior. Coyotes that rely on natural food items remain wild and wary of humans.

Keep your pets safe. Although free-roaming pets are more likely to be killed by automobiles than by wild animals, coyotes do view cats and small dogs as potential food and larger dogs as competition. For the safety of your pets, keep them restrained at all times.

Feed pets indoors. Outdoor feeding attracts many wild animals to your door.

Keep bird feeding areas clean. Use feeders designed to keep seed off the ground, as the seed attracts many small mammals that coyotes prey upon. Remove feeders if coyotes are regularly seen around your yard.

Close off crawl spaces under porches and sheds. Coyotes use such areas for resting and raising young.

Cut back brushy edges in your yard. These areas provide cover for coyotes and their prey.

Protect livestock and produce. Coyotes will prey upon livestock. Techniques, such as fencing, will protect livestock from predation. Clear fallen fruit from around fruit trees.

Educate your neighbors. Pass this information along since your efforts will be futile if neighbors are providing food or shelter for coyotes.

Source: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife