Coyotes move into the Beach Strip

[scotto]

Bounty on coyotes kept the animals in check

Albert Bisci
The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton
(Oct 30, 2009)
Re: 'Ontario singer killed by coyotes in Cape Breton national park' (Oct. 29)

The fatal attack by coyotes was a situation waiting to happen.

There used to be a bounty on coyotes that kept them in check. No one is suggesting we should eradicate them, but a bounty has two benefits.

First it keeps their numbers in check and secondly, when they are hunted they tend to stay away from humans.

It also should be against the law to feed wild animals unless mandated by the Ministry of Natural Resources. They are wild animals, not pets.

Coyotes are very adaptable creatures. They hunt small animals for food.

When the population of small animals dwindles, coyotes adapt to larger animals.

Eventually we become the food.

I would like to paraphrase an old coyote hunter: When the end of the world comes, two creatures will survive.

One is the cockroach and the other is the coyote. Now that is adaptability

 

[Sharla1]

I wouldn't doubt this problem is going to get worse. As you had mentioned that their food source is dwindling and their places to live. I wouldn't doubt they will spread out more into the city within time.

 

[scotto]

I wouldn't doubt this problem is going to get worse. As you had mentioned that their food source is dwindling and their places to live. I wouldn't they will spread out more into the city within time.

If it does get worse I think the author of the Spec letter is right, there will be a bounty placed back on them. There are many who think that the coyotes should be protected, but when they start attacking people for no reason then their days will be numbered.

 

[Sharla1]

Catch 22 for sure. We can't have it both ways.

 

[Sharla1]

Have you noticed too that they didn't start being a problem till after the Redhill was finished.

 

[scotto]

Have you noticed too that they didn't start being a problem till after the Redhill was finished.

I think they were always around (very small numbers), but yes, we seem to have more of a problem with nature down here on the Beach ever since the RedHill was built. The more coyotes there are, the harder it is to find food.

 

[Sharla1]

Yes they can have large litters. Hence for why I said I can see them spreading out as they have their own territorial space. Which I think I heard was a 2km range.

 

[scotto]

Coyotes: Coming to a neighbourhood near you

Yes they can have large litters. Hence for why I said I can see them spreading out as they have their own territorial space. Which I think I heard was a 2km range.

And it is getting to be a problem, but not just for us on the Beach or urban Hamilton, they are also an issue for the rural community. Difference being, they can take matters into their own hands and shoot them....

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/493146

 

[Sharla1]

I can see that happening about them getting shot to try and control them.
Take one breeding pair, can have 6 pups. They are sexually mature at one year of age. 6 is the average size. Then you will have those 6 each having six etc. etc.
Now you can see how fast they can multiply.

 

[scotto]

So they have no idea why?

Coyote in N.S. attack not diseased or hungry
Canadian Press
LOUISBOURG, N.S. - Experts have determined that a coyote believed to be involved in a shocking attack on a young hiker on a Cape Breton trail was neither diseased nor hungry.

Parks Canada staff tracked and destroyed a coyote last Tuesday, hours after Taylor Mitchell, a folksinger from Toronto, was mauled by two of the animals in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
The 19-year-old later died in a Halifax hospital.

The federal agency said the Atlantic Veterinary Centre has done tests on the coyote and preliminary results suggest it was involved in the attack on the Skyline Trail, which remained closed Monday.

"There's no evidence of rabies or other disease or any other physical element of the animal that might have led to this attack," said Chip Bird, a field unit superintendent with Parks Canada in Cape Breton.

Bird said the coyote was a 14-kilogram adult female in "really healthy shape." There was also evidence that the coyote had food in its system.

"This was not a hungry or starving animal," he said.

There have been a number of theories as to why the coyotes attacked Mitchell as she hiked alone on the popular trail. Coyotes are considered shy animals that are typically fearful of humans.
Some experts have suggested the coyotes were young, inexperienced and unafraid of humans. Others have theorized the animals were diseased.

Bird said Parks Canada staff are talking to other wildlife experts in hopes of determining what happened.
Meanwhile, the search continues on the Skyline Trail and other trails nearby for the second coyote involved in the attack.

 

[Sharla1]

I have heard that farmers who try and feed them to try and keep them out of the livestock are more prone to attack humans then. I did see that on a documentary on coyotes.

 

[scotto]

I have heard that farmers who try and feed them to try and keep them out of the livestock are more prone to attack humans then. I did see that on a documentary on coyotes.

If you look back in this thread, you see where the Province "scolds Beach Strip residents who fed the coyotes". The one that was put down didn't seem to mine just hanging around the Beach. I easily took many pictures of it just casually walking down the Strip, with many people following it doing the same. I don't know if the ones in NS were getting fed by people, nothing in any of the articles pointed to this. But I don't see any other answers either. The bottom line should be that, these animals should fear humans and want to stay clear, in the long run it is better for them and us.

 

[Sharla1]

I just found this on an incidient in the west coast. Not sure same thing is going on at the east coast.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/07/01/bc-coyote-attack.html

I think as well people don't know much about their habitats either. When I was just reading about them it showed they also ate fruit. I didn't know they ate that. And do people have those fruit trees on the properties that are attracting them without even knowing about it. Sure is possible.

 

[scotto]

I just found this on an incidient in the west coast. Not sure same thing is going on at the east coast.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/07/01/bc-coyote-attack.html

I think as well people don't know much about their habitats either. When I was just reading about them it showed they also ate fruit. I didn't know they ate that. And do people have those fruit trees on the properties that are attracting them without even knowing about it. Sure is possible.

Well that article made it pretty clear, don't feed them!

 

[Paul_G]

be careful not to over react about coyotes

Hello,

I just joined but regarding the attack in Nova Scotia, while it was a terrible tragedy, it is not the norm thankfully.
I also believe that there is more to the story. Was she preinjured? Did the animals come upon her after falling or being assaulted by someone else? While coyotes can cause a nasty wound with their bite, even with two of them and even if they were large for coyotes, the attack is unusual. Even wolves which are larger almost never bother with humans and usually only being defensive.

If they did attack first, could it be they had something near they were protecting?
I am also not certain they were even coyotes or the animal killed was the one to have been involved. It is just as likely that they were dogs who are much more likely to approach people and are the culprit in many rural livestock incidents as well.

Remember too that these animals are primarily mouse and rabbit hunters, with the occasional deer fawn when the opportunity arrives. People are a large step up. But they are opportunists and may take advantage of a situation. They also will eat almost anything so you never know what is going to serve as a food source they are protecting.

As for Hamilton, it is more important than ever that we do not over-react. The animal killed was less than a year old and was regularly being fed directly by people which lowered its fear.

On November 17 the City is presenting their new animal bylaws which will include feeding wildlife as an offence with songbirds being the main exception as well as others for rural areas. This also includes leaving food out that a coyote may see as food so they are not attacted. It is very important Not To Feed Coyotes!

What is truly needed is more general education, something I as a private citizen am working on to help provide. One thing I am working on is an information session about coyotes with an expert. If anyone wishes to help, let me know.

I also suggest parents ask their schools to include a unit about coyotes and coyote safety. I know of another city that has done so and even has lesson plans that they will sell to interested parties. But at least they should have a presentation at school.

In the end, please do not let the Nova Scotia incident cloud the issue or make anyone more afraid than before. Also remember that the coyotes life is a hard one, they breed rather quickly but many do not reach adulthood. Further, killing puts pressure for higher litters which has helped them withstand pressures in the past but it also means many surviving orphans grow up without the parents to teach tham caution around people. Killing is not the answer. A stable local population that is left alone and not welcomed by food or leaving edible waste is our best chance to coexist peacefully.

 

[scotto]

Hi Paul,:wavey: thanks for joining the Beach Forum and great first post. I don't know if we will ever find the real reason of the NS coyote attack, Parks Canada stated that the animal they believed was involved was neither hungry or sick and they wouldn't be protecting young ones at this time of year. Hopefully they do find some answers.
Educating school children on the coyote safety is a excellent idea, but again the bottom line is not to feed them or allow them to become comfortable around people.

 

[scotto]

Dave's brolly drives off coyote

November 20, 2009
Danielle Wong
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 20, 2009)
When a coyote appeared outside his school just minutes before students arrived yesterday morning, principal Dave Maddocks pulled out the only weapon he had: his umbrella.

It was his "typical English" reaction, Maddocks said.

He waved the umbrella around and the coyote, which was standing on the pavement about 70 metres from Prince Philip school's front entrance, ran over to the baseball diamond beside the school and sat down.

The coyote did not seem threatening, Maddocks said, but JK to Grade 5 students were kept indoors for both the morning and afternoon recesses, just in case.

The coyote left later in the afternoon, he added.

"When he saw me, he just walked off. He wanted nothing to do with me."

In the last three weeks, there have been a couple of coyote sightings near the school on Rifle Range Road north of Highway 403.

A couple of weeks ago, two coyotes showed up and just lay in the field, Maddocks said, adding he has contacted police and the city's animal control services.

Michael Reid, whose two daughters attend Prince Philip, said he was concerned even though the coyote didn't seem to be aggressive.

Reid and his wife spotted the coyote yesterday morning. It was the size of a German Shepherd, he said.

"I'm not comfortable with that kind of ... risk for my four- and seven-year-old daughters," Reid said.

"My four-year-old daughter is not equipped to deal with a coyote."

But Hamilton animal control services manager Paul Buckle said he would be more concerned about his children being around an unknown dog than a coyote.

"You're at more risk with Grandma's dog than you are with a coyote," he said.

Animal control officials are monitoring the situation, but nothing in the coyotes' behaviour has indicated they pose a threat, Buckle said.

Coyotes have lived in the area for many years, he said, and they may be chasing field mice and other prey down from the escarpment.

In fact, coyotes are displaying "very passive" behaviour when they lie down, said Lesley Sampson, co-founder of Coyote Watch Canada.

"They're curious ... They're probably hearing the kids laughing."

Sampson warned residents not to leave out food -- that attracted coyotes to the Beach Strip earlier this year. That incident resulted in a coyote being euthanized.

In the fall, coyotes lose their camouflage and packs disperse, Sampson said. "I have no doubt they will move along" if there is no food made available.

Nevertheless, Maddocks put in a work order to the school board yesterday for a fence to keep the coyotes out.

"Safety is the first priority," he said.

If people spot a coyote, they should back away slowly instead of running, Sampson said, adding residents should leash their pets.

dawong@thespec.com

905-526-2468

 

[Sharla1]

I think we will be seeing more problems in the future with them. The only thing I can suggest is getting some of this stuff. It is supposed to deter animals. It shows that coyotes predator is a wolf.

http://www.predatorpee.com/

 

[scotto]

I think we will be seeing more problems in the future with them. The only thing I can suggest is getting some of this stuff. It is supposed to deter animals. It shows that coyotes predator is a wolf.

http://www.predatorpee.com/

I never heard of that one before, I guess we are lucky not to have wolves or bears. Thanks for the info.

 

[Sharla1]

I like animals but not in the residential areas. So I would rather try and get rid of them in a more humane way.

Most animals mark their territory with urine and or feces. So this stuff is to try and make them think another animal (that they fear) has taken over their territory. Which will hopefully make them move to another area. Preferably further from the residential areas.