Coyote is here to stay in Toronto
Eric Riehl"When a coyote goes after a pet, he doesn't do so to be mean. He just simply doesn't understand that it's okay to eat this guy, but not okay to eat Fluffy. Cats and small dogs are the exact same size as food items that they would typically eat 365 days a year." - Nathalie Karvonen, executive director, Toronto Wildlife Centre
Nathalie Karvonen, executive director from the Toronto Wildlife Center (TWC), and Oakville Today journalist Michael Howie were guest speakers on the panel.
Numerous coyote sightings in Oakville urban areas in recent months have sparked concern among some residents.As far as being a danger, Karvonen said perspective is very important with coyotes, as it is abnormal behaviour for them to be a risk and people shouldn't expect typical coyotes seen in neighbourhoods to be dangerous.
"Approximately 2,900 people are killed on roads in Canada each year, yet we still drive every day in our cars. Almost 200 people here are killed by lightning," said Karvonen. "There (are) at least one or two deaths each year from dogs, yet we love our dogs, we have dogs in our communities, (but) we're not terribly worried when our kids are around dogs." Halton Public Health reports that in 2009, there were no incidents of physical contact between humans and coyotes, but a total of 281 incidents occurred with cats and 222 with dogs, according to a document on the Town's website.
"Coyotes are very important to our ecosystems because they do control a lot of rodents we would otherwise have potential problems with if it were not for coyotes and other predators," said Karvonen.
Earlier this year, it was brought to the Town's attention some residents may be feeding the coyotes, which can dramatically change their behaviour and may result in a nuisance situation, Karvonen said.
Typically, coyotes are active during the evening to avoid human activity and hunt, but can also be active during the day, especially if humans have fed them, Karvonen said. They eat an average of 1 kg of food per day, and normally feed on what's easiest to them — small animals such as grey squirrels, rabbits, birds and "little things we find around the yard."
Pets are at risk because a coyote doesn't understand the difference between a dog, a rabbit, a cat and a groundhog that are all the same size, she added."(When) a coyote goes after a pet, he doesn't do so to be mean. He just simply doesn't understand that it's okay to eat this guy, but not okay to eat Fluffy. Cats and small dogs are the exact same size as food items that they would typically eat 365 days a year," said Karvonen. (dogs are seen as competitors to coyotes, cats are seen as a food item--blogger Rick)
In case of nuisance wildlife on your property, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) sets out legal actions property owners may take to deal with problem wildlife. Landowners or their agents may capture, kill, or harass certain species of problem wildlife to prevent damage to their property at any time. This would include municipalities on municipally owned land. Landowners are responsible for managing problem animals on their property.
Karvonen said if people are inclined to kill a nuisance coyote on their property that is causing problems, or is damaging property, it must be done humanely. But at the TWC it's not something they generally recommend, as it is a "very short-term solution to the problem."
Putting up a fence and keeping your pets protected at all times while outdoors can solve the root of the problem, she added.
"In many areas with coyotes, if you eradicate a particular group of coyotes, the remaining ones will actually have larger litter sizes the following year and that's not just coyotes, that's for all wild animals," said Karvonen.
Howie has written numerous articles on coyotes, and discussed the role of media in reporting coyote facts. He was critical of coverage with negative overtones and advocated the media playing the role of educator. "Some people have said I'm pro coyote, but that is not accurate. I'm pro education. Every journalist has an angle. Some use an angle that causes fear and anxiety, I try to use an angle that educates," said Howie.
One of the only recorded cases of coyote-related human deaths in Canada happened in 2009 when Toronto singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell was attacked by two coyotes in Cape Breton and died in hospital. Karvonen said her family members are all "huge animal lovers" and weren't angry at the coyotes or about the situation. "In the case of Taylor's death in 2009, believe it or not her mother actually directed donations in memorial of Taylor when she was killed to Toronto Wildlife Center," said Karvonen.
If coyotes build a den on your property and you don't want them there, Karvonen said to chuck a bunch of "dirty, old, sweaty gym socks into the den or have a couple of drinks and then do your business near the den site. "To the coyotes, (it) will be another predator set marking their den and nine times out of 10, predators like coyotes and foxes will just pack up and move their babies somewhere else because they think you are a threat to their babies," said Karvonen.
Karvonen said at the end of the day what is most important is just to learn as much as possible about what bothers us about what the coyote is doing or what we're afraid of what the coyote might do, and work to resolve the problem through educating ourselves as much as we possibly can.
"There are lots and lots of coyotes living in our communities that are not habituated to people, that have not associated us with food that we're probably never going to see or only see a tiny smidgen of their tail high tailing it out of there," said Karvonen.
In June, Town council approved the Oakville Wildlife Strategy and Conflict Guidelines, and will provide better clarity and direction for staff, service providers and the community for supporting biodiversity and minimizing wildlife conflict situations. For more information, visit www.oakville.ca/wildlife.htm.
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