Oakville shooting brings animals into the media spotlight

By Debra Downey, Senior Editor

Residing in close proximity to coyotes has become a way of life for residents in the University Gardens area of Dundas.

When people leave their homes each morning, most clap their hands or bang around a little bit to signal their presence outdoors.

Along with the usual nods of greeting, passers-by on walks routinely provide each other with coyote updates — “Down by the field,” or “Near the ravine.” Some people carry sticks on walks as a precautionary measure.

Almost every night, usually around 10 or 11 p.m., a pair of coyotes can be seen walking along Grant Boulevard.

One resident, who asked that her name not be used, has come upon a coyote peering at her through the bushes in her yard. Her husband, who was walking the family’s little dog one evening, spotted a coyote under a tree. He scooped up the pup and scooted back home.

“They (coyotes) are seen pretty well daily by one person or another,” she said. “They’re not shy of humans, that for sure.”

Rather than being frightened of the coyotes who share the area, the woman said most
people have adapted to their presence.

“We’re more cautious than afraid,” she said. “If you see a coyote crouched under a tree, you don’t know if it’s napping or waiting for you and your small dog or your small child..I think you just have to be cautious and keep your eye out.”

But while at least one resident appears to be prepared to live in harmony with a couple of furry friends, a recent incident in Oakville has brought the issue of coyotes in residential areas into the media spotlight.

On Jan. 19, two young girls were playing in an Oakville backyard around 4 p.m., when a coyote from a nearby greenbelt area jumped over the fence. The girls ran towards the house, but as they reached the patio door, the coyote bit one of the girls on her leg.

The animal was later shot by Halton police officers and tested negative for rabies.
Art Timmerman, a Ministry of Natural Resources wildlife biologist based in Guelph, said he has read and heard media reports about the behaviour exhibited by the coyote in Oakville and believes it’s “quite unusual” because the animals are usually wary of people.

“The normal behaviour for a coyote is to avoid humans, but being wild animals, they are unpredictable,” said Timmerman.

Coyotes that show no fear of humans or exhibit aggressive behaviour have likely been habituated to people through direct or indirect feeding, he said.

“They associate humans with food because people are intentionally — although I hope not — or unintentionally providing food for coyotes,” said Timmerman.

The best advice, he said, is to eliminate the coyotes’ food source.

“People may feed their dog outside on the porch, but if the dog likes it, the coyote is going to like it as well,” said Timmerman. “Or putting garbage out on the night before garbage day. Coyotes have likely figured out when garbage day is and have found a predictable source of food.”

Bruce Mackenzie, Hamilton Conservation Area manager of customer service and operations, agrees that an artificial food source could, in the “odd case,” cause a change in the animal’s behaviour.

“It’s the same with bears up north, don’t leave food out,” said Mackenzie.
Mackenzie said Hamilton Conservation Authority park superintendents report coyote sightings in the Hamilton area as “about normal,” compared to previous years.

“They are no more noticeable than in other years,” said Mackenzie. “With little snow, their normal prey species have been available to them. We are not seeing them out and about during the day.”

Coyotes typically roam at night looking for food and spend the daylight hours bedded in bushy or wooded areas.

Mackenzie said two of the areas in which coyotes are most often spotted in Hamilton are Fifty Point in Winona and areas surrounding the Dundas Valley Conservation Area.

“Under normal circumstances, the coyotes are living quite copacetically with us,” said Mackenzie.

But while Mackenzie said coyote sightings do not appear to have increased, Timmerman believes the general coyote population in this area of Ontario is “relatively high.”

“We’re hearing more about coyotes in the past few weeks,” said Timmerman, adding it could be the result of heightened awareness due to the Oakville attack. π

The Ministry of Natural Resources does not conduct a formal coyote count, but like other wild animals, the coyote population is cyclical. The number of coyotes fluctuates in response to the abundance or scarcity of food, said Timmerman.

To prevent encounters with coyotes, the Ministry of Natural Resources recommends you:
• Keep pet food indoors
• Use secure garbage containers with locking lids and store in an enclosed structure.
• Put garbage out the morning of a scheduled pickup.
• Use enclosed composting bins rather than exposed piles.
• Clear away bushes and dense weeds near your home where coyotes may find cover and small animals.
• Use motion sensor lights.
• Close off spaces under porches, decks and sheds. Coyotes use these areas for denning and raising young.
• If you fence your property, install a two-metre-high
fence that extends at least 20 centimetres underground as coyotes may dig under a barrier.
• Electric fencing can also help deter coyotes.

For more information, visit www.mnr.gov.on.ca.

If you see a coyote and feel you or others might be in danger, call 911.