Coyotes move into the Beach Strip

[scotto]

Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator
____________________________________________

The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 26, 2009)
Residents of the Beach Strip are worried about their pets and toddlers after a spate of coyote sightings.

The coyotes have been acting unusually aggressively in recent weeks -- walking down sidewalks in broad daylight, eyeing residents from their back yards, sleeping on porches and attacking pets. Some residents say they have to check for coyotes every time they walk out their front doors.

The city's animal control department believes the cold winter has forced coyotes into the neighbourhood in search of food. They say the animals have grown dependent on humans -- especially those who have been feeding them.

Yesterday afternoon, police and animal control tried unsuccessfully to trap one of the coyotes found roaming the strip. Now they're calling in a wildlife trapper to deal with coyotes prowling the neighbourhood.

Carolynne Cole was pulling out of her Beach Strip driveway Monday morning when her 11-year-old daughter spotted a coyote pacing towards them.

"It was walking down the sidewalk not even 10 feet away," said Cole.

Yesterday afternoon, her daughter had to leave the playground across the street from their home because a coyote wouldn't stop prowling around its perimeter.

"Now every time we walk out the door, we're looking around to see if there's a coyote," she said.

Beach Strip residents say they're dealing with unusually aggressive behaviour from the coyotes roaming around their neighbourhood.

One resident said a coyote has taken to lounging on his back porch. Others say the animals have been eyeing them through their windows.

The coyotes haven't demonstrated any aggressive behaviour towards humans, but they have attacked two dogs in the area, said Paul Buckle, manager of the city's animal control services.

One of the dogs was on a long leash at the time and suffered minor injuries, he said, but the other dog was off his leash and suffered serious injuries. Both attacks occurred in the past two weeks.

Yesterday afternoon, police and animal control officers tried to capture a coyote seen roaming around the strip. They eventually called off the search.

This type of brazen behaviour isn't common among coyotes, who usually shy away from humans.

The animals were likely driven into the area in search of food after the long, cold winter decimated their natural food sources, Buckle said.

"There are two or three who are really less fearful than normal," he said. "They've lost their natural fear and distrust of humans."

Two other neighbourhoods on the Mountain are also dealing with increased coyote presence, Buckle said, though the animals in those neighbourhoods aren't exhibiting the same fearlessness around humans as those on the Beach Strip.

The city is consulting with the Ministry of Natural Resources to determine the next step. They plan to hire a wildlife trapper within the next few days.

"We do know we'll have to take some kind of action to protect residents and people who use the area for recreation," Buckle said.

If the coyotes became increasingly aggressive, the city would have the option of destroying them as they're not protected by law.

Councillor Chad Collins, who represents the Beach Strip, said his office has received complaints about people feeding the coyotes.

Feeding the animals reinforces the coyotes' comfort around humans, Buckle said.

"You're not doing them a favour, you're doing them a disservice," said Buckle. "You're making them dependent on us for a food source. You're turning them into beggars."

For a coyote information pamphlet, visit myhamilton.ca, search for the Animal Control Services page and look for the heading, Wildlife Issues, on that page.

ereilly@thespec.com

905-526-2452

- Photos by Barry Gray, the Hamilton Spectator

 

[waterlilly]

Yesterdays pic

I thought the little comic on the front page of the spec was "Cute"

Some body has a great sence of humour:laugh2:

Not sure if you can cut and paste it Scotto.

I am hoping they can some how catch and release this guy if he is healthy.

 

[lil squirt]

My parents had one on their front porch the other night. They couldn't get out of the house.

I don't want to see any of them killed. I think the Law about not being able to catch them and move them any farther then 1 km from where they are caught, it stupid. So what, they catch them on the beach and they can only take the down to the end of the beach?
They need to be taken up north and let go. I feel bad for them.

 

[scotto]

WL; I didn't see a comic on the front page, do you mean the picture of the coyote having a drink from the lake?

Squirt; Better keep an eye on your parent's cats, don't want to be acused of feeding the coyote.
I was out this morning when I seen a bunch of cars stopped on the Blvd near the 300's. There was a coyote just walking around with people following it and taking pictures. I did get a few.

 

[scotto]

Coyotes' future fuzzy

February 28, 2009
Elisabeth Johns
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 28, 2009)
The city's animal control office is considering relocating the three coyotes that have been prowling the Beach Strip area to a wildlife sanctuary.

That's if they get permission from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the coyotes don't pose a further threat to residents, said Paul Buckle, manager of the city's animal control office yesterday.

Otherwise, the animals will be euthanized.

"If we can save the coyotes and protect the public, then all the better," Buckle said.

"But our first priority is public safety.

"If the coyotes have to be sacrificed in order to maintain priority No. 1, then that's unfortunate -- but we cannot disregard public safety."

Under ministry law, if an animal is relocated, it can only be a kilometre away. But coyote territory can range to at least 10 kilometres, so with a short relocation, the animal can easily return.

The ministry is looking at bringing the coyotes to the Muskoka-based Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Buckle said.

A family of coyotes have been fearlessly approaching residents of the Beach Strip over the past two weeks. The wildlife were sighted walking down sidewalks and eyeing homeowners, in search of food.

Buckle believes this is because people have been feeding the animals.

The problem has been compounded by the cold winter and dense snow which makes prey harder to find, said Shari Faulkenham, an ecologist with the Hamilton Conservation Authority.

She advised Beach Strip residents to clean up around their bird feeders and to avoid putting food out for stray cats.

And even put a lock on their garbage bins.

The city has hired a wildlife trapper who set down traps to catch the coyotes Thursday night.

Lesley Sampson, a coyote researcher and co-founder of Coyote Watch Canada, said the animal's instinct to stay away from humans has been overridden by the ability to obtain a free meal.

"We are changing the face of this animal and we don't realize the gravity of it," she said.

Sampson argued the city needs to increase the $125 fine for unleashed dogs and create a bylaw about feeding certain animals.

"Certainly some fines we'll look at increasing in light of the unfortunate circumstances we're at now," said Buckle.

ejohns@thespec.com

905-526-3214

Coyote tips

Paul Buckle, manager of the city's animal control office, offered a number of tips for people while the city deals with the coyote problem.

1. Don't leave food out for stray animals or coyotes.

2. Don't leave small children or pets unattended when in the Beach Strip area or the conservation parks.

3. Keep pets on a short leash -- no more than 10 feet or three metres long.

4. Don't approach the coyotes. If you are approached by them, do not run away. Either walk or back away from them.


Photo; Barry Gray, the Hamilton Spectator

 

[scotto]

Just to add

Councillor Collins has stated that the City has hired a trapper in an effort to remove these animals from the Beach, traps will be placed in areas along the Beach and people are asked to leave them alone. Hopefully we can get a picture of one these traps just show the community what they look like.

 

[scotto]

Animals suffering because of our mistakes

Joda Turner
The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton
(Feb 28, 2009)
Re: 'Beach bullies: Coyotes on the prowl' (Feb. 26)

I read this story in disbelief and sadness that the city would even consider destroying these animals. I have lived along the Red Hill Creek for 14 years, and the coyotes have always come to hunt in THEIR hunting grounds whenever we have a long or extremely cold winter. The valley is full of life and good for the hunting.

Before the expressway, the coyotes hunted small deer, wild turkeys, rabbits and raccoons. What did the city think was going to happen when they built the Red Hill Valley Parkway? The city disrupted the natural flow of the valley and the day-to-day life of its natural residents, and now people want to complain? Do the humane thing -- trap the pack and relocate them.

It is amazing that humans continue to make grave mistakes with the environment and instead of correcting them, we allow the animals -- the weaker species -- to suffer.

 

[waterlilly]

WL; I didn't see a comic on the front page, do you mean the picture of the coyote having a drink from the lake?

Squirt; Better keep an eye on your parent's cats, don't want to be acused of feeding the coyote.
I was out this morning when I seen a bunch of cars stopped on the Blvd near the 300's. There was a coyote just walking around with people following it and taking pictures. I did get a few.

It was on the front page they were roller blading and eating at a hotdog stand.
Sunning on the beach.

It was cute.

 

[scotto]

I have todays paper, I didn't see that. Could it have been yesterday's edition?

 

[scotto]

Coyote caught and killed

March 04, 2009
The Hamilton Spectator
(Mar 4, 2009)
Coyote caught and killed

The city's animal control department has killed one of the coyotes roaming the Beach Strip.

The coyote was caught Monday night around 11:30 p.m., said city spokesperson Debbie Spence. It was taken to the city's animal shelter and euthanized yesterday.

The animal control department hoped to relocate the animal to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the Muskoka area but required permission to do so from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Yesterday, the city learned the ministry would approve the move only if the animal was injured. The ministry then advised that the animal should be destroyed.

Spence said the city was trying to balance the rights of the animal with the safety of the community.

"Any animal that willingly goes into a trap is definitely habituated to humans and could be considered a threat to public safety," she said.

 

[Roberta]

I am deeply sadened to read that they have decided to kill these poor animals instead of changing the law and relocating them farther than what the current law allows. As you may remember I live in the new Beach Club community across from the Govt. building..and last Sunday as we were moving in, one of the coyotes came right up to my car as I was about to get in, I thought he was going to jump up to peer through the window, instead he stopped and looked at the man and his son beside our home and walked within a couple metres of them just taking steps towards them. I was afraid for this mans small son, which he grabbed and put inside. I cant deny that there is obviously a risk involved in leaving these animals here, but there is no reason why they shouold be killed. It is a blessing to live in a place where the wildlife still roams.... and what are we doing, running from it and kiling them? I am truely sad about this. There must be another way around it.
Roberta

 

[scotto]

Yes I don't get this one, why can't they just be moved?? Anyway, this one coyote was getting too close to people and the end result would not of been good. So something had to be done as these animals should be afraid of people. Just to add, I have lived down here for a long time and have seen all types of wildlife, but never coyotes.

 

[scotto]

Sanctuary would've taken beach coyote

Meaghan Edwards
The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton
(Mar 9, 2009)
Re: 'Coyote caught and killed' (March 4)

I am upset that one of the Beach Strip coyotes was destroyed. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) clearly needs to overhaul its policies. There was a responsible organization willing to take it into its care. For more than 20 years, Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary has rehabilitated orphaned and injured wild animals. Animals that are unreleasable are given permanent residence at the sanctuary -- they lead a quality life and receive the best of care. This is not the first time the MNR has interfered with the sanctuary. In 2006, it ordered five unreleasable animals euthanized, and more by the end of that year.

Coyotes are hardly "beach bullies." They are wild animals that eke out a living in a world where people are slow to co-exist with wildlife and fast to pave their habitats.

The only bully is man.

 

[Gaelic]

Bully, yes. The Coyotes were doing what they could to survive, they are extremely adaptable. Unfortunately, their adaptability is also their downfall. They become very comfortable around humans and the humans panic (thinking that soon it's going to be that-coyotes-got-your-baby).

My husband spent a year working in Yellowstone Park as a ranger - and this saying keeps coming to mind: A fed bear is a dead bear. People provide food (inadvertently or not) and then the animal becomes a nuisance because seeking the people out as a food source becomes the norm.

It is sad

 

[scotto]

In Toronto they are shooting the coyotes with paint ball guns to get rid of them..

http://www.thestar.com/article/600833

 

[scotto]

The wild life wasn't for her

March 14, 2009
Emma Reilly
The Hamilton Spectator
(Mar 14, 2009)
It's late at night on the Beach Strip. A young coyote slinks through backyards, searching for a meal, from garbage bins, compost piles or a small animal that might wander her way.

Soon, she catches the scent of deer meat. She finds it, dangling inside a metal trap. She steps inside and takes a few paces toward the meat.

As soon as her paws hit a raised platform at the back of the cage, the door clatters shut. She's trapped.

Later, the coyote is transferred to the city's animal control facility on Dartnall Road. She's calm and docile in her crate.

The next day, the coyote is euthanized.

This winter, the Beach Strip was one of the communities in southern Ontario that was confronted with unusually aggressive urban coyotes.

A coyote that killed a chihuahua in Toronto's Beach neighbourhood ignited debate about everything from animal rights to the rural- urban divide. In Peterborough, coyotes attacked two dogs. City officials in Sarnia struggled with controlling the animals after water birds were killed at the Children's Animal Farm in Canatara Park.

Experts say the problem was caused by a cold winter that decimated the animal's food sources. Their appearance in residential neighbourhoods is also evidence of their expanding territory, as coyotes are one of the few animals in the country whose range is getting bigger.

Though the animals are becoming increasingly at home in urban environments, normally they'll keep their distance from humans.

What attracted the animals to the Beach Strip, said Lesley Sampson of Coyote Watch Canada, was food.

When coyote packs disperse in the fall, young animals leaving their mothers will cover a large terrain -- often up to 10 kilometres -- in search of new hunting territory.

The animals typically hunt in pairs, looking for small mammals, birds or carrion. They're shy of humans and can generally be scared off by as little as a loud noise.

The Beach Strip isn't a typical habitat for coyotes, who prefer to den in fields, tree stumps or other animal burrows away from any human contact.

But there's plenty to keep them in the area. The Beach Strip offers easy access to the lake, a clear trail leading to a myriad of food sources and close proximity to the shelter of Confederation Park.

And when they learned to associate the area with an easy meal -- especially after a long, cold winter -- they stuck around.

Sampson thinks the coyotes were initially passing through the area but stayed to feast on garbage, compost heaps, neighbourhood pets and tidbits offered directly from human hands.

As the winter progressed, the animals became more and more brazen. One coyote was spotted walking down the street with a ham in its mouth. The animals, which are usually nocturnal, started napping on residents' porches in broad daylight.

This unnatural behaviour was caused by the animals becoming too accustomed to humans, said Cal Burnett, a supervisor of animal control.

"Normally, if you leave the wildlife alone, they'll act like wildlife," Burnett said.

Once the coyote that was trapped on the Beach Strip learned to associate humans with an easy meal, its fate was sealed.

The city believes the coyote that was killed was causing most of the problems. Complaints died down after it was captured and killed.

The city's Animal Control wanted to relocate the animal to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the Muskoka area -- a move that required special permission from the Ministry of Natural Resources, which only allows wild animals to be relocated within a kilometre of their original habitat.

These regulations are in place for the animal's best interest, said ministry spokesperson Bill Murch. Keeping the animal close to its original habitat increases the chances of a successful transfer.

"We don't want to move a problem situation into a new location," Murch said. "We want the animal to adapt properly and not cause problems."

Moving an animal over large distances also increases the chance of spreading disease, he said.

Taking these factors into consideration, the ministry advised the coyote should be destroyed rather than relocated to the sanctuary.

"It ... had acquired some unacceptable social behaviour," Murch said. "It appears that its behaviour had been modified by interactions with humans."

Even if the animal had been relocated to the animal sanctuary, there was only a slim chance it would have survived, said Bill Dowd, president of Hamilton-based Humane Wildlife Control.

As it was a young, urban coyote that likely never learned to hunt in the wild, the animal would have had a difficult time finding food in the sanctuary.

"Seventy per cent of all relocated animals die," said Dowd. "They're in a strange area where they don't know where the den sites and food sources are.

They also have to compete with other wildlife for food.

The city knew its decision to euthanize the coyote would be met with some anger.

"It's a matter of public safety versus the rights of the animal," said the city's Debbie Spence.

"You're going to get both reactions. Some people have been very thankful and very appreciative. You will get some people who question the process."

The most important thing, Sampson said, is to ensure Hamiltonians are educated about feeding wildlife to ensure this situation doesn't happen again.

"Pointing a finger at somebody does nothing to move forward."

ereilly@thespec.com

 

[scotto]

Province condemned Beach Strip coyote

October 13, 2009
Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator
(Oct 13, 2009)
Hamilton animal control officers appealed all the way to the office of Donna Cansfield, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, in an unsuccessful bid to save the life of a female coyote trapped after she and her mate threatened people and dogs along the Hamilton Beach Strip in March.

The animal was euthanized by a veterinarian after a Cansfield aide reportedly said the minister would not overrule Guelph district manager Ian Hagman, who told Hamilton its only option was to put the healthy adult to death.

Only an "injured, orphaned or immature" animal, could go to the sanctuary, Hagman wrote in a letter faxed to the city.

Details of the efforts to avoid euthanasia are revealed in a staff report that questions why the ministry refused to let the trapped Hamilton coyote go to a wildlife sanctuary while it gave Toronto permission to relocate a coyote roaming its Beach district if the animal could be captured.

The report is on the agenda of a meeting of council's committee of the whole this morning. No action is proposed.

It says the young, 17.5-kg coyote was caught in a humane trap on Beach Boulevard shortly before midnight March 2. The next day, Kathy Richardson, a ministry fish and wildlife technical specialist, was contacted for permission to move the coyote to Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Aurora.

When Richardson refused, she was asked to take the decision to a more senior official. Hagman's letter came later that day.

"One of the minister's immediate subordinates" was then contacted and reportedly said the minister would not counter Hagman's order. The animal had to be killed or released no more than a kilometre from the capture point, which wouldn't have solved the problem.

The report scolds Beach Strip residents who fed the coyotes and says feeding wildlife will likely be outlawed in a draft, citywide animal control bylaw.

emcguinness@thespec.com

905-526-4650

The province refused to spare the captured Beach Strip coyote. It was a different story in Toronto. - Spectator file image

 

[uncle johnnie]

Coyotes sighting

On Sunday evening around 7:20pm I was stopped at the intersection going up Woodward (Beach Blvd. at Eastport) and saw three large (like in the Spec pics) sized coyotes crossing Eastport and heading towards the tunnel to the strip. Be careful out there!!!

 

[Gaelic]

Yesterday, at 0330 am, our good friend and former upstairs neighbour in Toronto, Taylor Mitchell, died after being mauled to death by two coyotes in Nova Scotia.

Words cannot begin to express the pain and sorrow my family is feeling right now, and I cannot begin to comprehend what her mother, Emily, who raised her only child all by herself, is going through.

Taylor was a bright, articulate woman who at the age of 19 had the world on her plate. My husband and I watched her grow from a kid who loved cats, horses, and music into an accomplished songwriter and performer and a beautiful woman. Our neighbours for over ten years, we shared christmas dinners, garage sales, nights out. We would house-sit for each other. We would go out for coffee on Saturday mornings. When we moved here to the Beach, Taylor came out to a barbecue we had and was so happy for us and our new home. The thought that her wonderful smile has been extinguished breaks my heart.

Please, PLEASE do not underestimate the power of a coyote. Taylor was not a stupid woman - the trail she was on was well populated (much like our beach trail?), she was alone but it was broad daylight, and she had told others where she was going. Being only the second recorded coyote attack fatality, there is lots of speculation going on about the condition/size/breeding of the coyotes who attacked (and yes, there were witnesses, they WERE Coyotes, not wolves or dog hybrids). Nevertheless, while beach residents here fear for their pets and garbage cans, never again will I be so flippant in my beliefs. I was all for co-existing with the coyotes here, but as of 0330 yesterday I have no use for them.

PLEASE be careful. Don't run from them. Don't make direct eye contact. Don't approach them. And whatever you do, don't turn your back on them. Yell, throw sticks, make yourself big and scary. Don't let what happened to our dear friend Taylor happen to you.

Please say a prayer for her mom Emily. I am devastated for her.

 

[scotto]

Gaelic; I am very sorry to hear of your loss, but thank you for the warning.
I see the RCMP did catch up to one of the coyotes and are still searching for the other.
From the Chronicle Herald; "Officials are at a loss to explain what may have caused this tragic animal encounter. Parks Canada is sending the carcass for pathological testing to determine if there was anything physically wrong with the animal to cause such aggressive behaviour."

For the whole story;
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1149994.html


http://taylormitchell.ca/index.php?show=home