Coyotes that are attacking pet dogs in Liberty Village should be humanely killed, not relocated, an expert says.
Local residents have been calling on city officials to take action after reporting 13 coyote attacks against their dogs in nine days.
These coyotes are likely increasingly habituated to humans, meaning they’ve lost the barrier between people and wildlife and are no longer impeded by humans, said Dennis Murray, who is Canada Research Chair in integrated wildlife conservation at Trent University.
“Once they lose those kinds of barriers, we run into coyotes a lot more,” Murray said in an interview with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Tuesday.
Coun. Ausma Malik, who represents Spadina-Fort York, is working with the city’s animal services to explore options for coyote relocation, she said in a statement posted on social media Friday.
But Murray said relocation is a “ridiculous” suggestion that could bring them into home ranges of other coyotes. They may be killed by existing coyotes or eventually move away and continue to harass people, he said.
As well, under Ontario legislation, wildlife can only be moved a maximum of one kilometre, he said.
“I don’t know why the municipality is so adverse to considering the logical solution … There’s no other way to stop these problems than just get rid of these animals,” Murray said.
The coyotes could be effectively removed by a trained trapper, he said. Over time, possibly in a year or two, Liberty Village will likely be repopulated.
“The hope would be that these new animals have that aversion to humans,” he said.
Loss of habitat could also play a role
In her statement, Malik said coyotes “have been displaced from their habitats without proper consideration by provincial redevelopment like Ontario Place.”
Murray said it’s possible that loss of habitat around Ontario Place caused coyotes to move into new areas, though their increasing habituation to people is likely also at play.
Coyotes are the price Torontonians pay for having green space in the city, he said.
“In the large majority of cases, coyotes exist and we don’t even know that they’re there,” he said.
While problems should be treated when they arise, Murray said, “we’re never going to be able to completely eradicate the coyotes and keep them out of Toronto.”
Some residents are urging the city to do more after increasing sightings of coyotes across the city. The CBC’s Tyreike Reid introduces us to a woman whose dog was attacked.
If a coyote is approaching within 10 or 20 metres while you’re walking a small dog, Murray said owners can pick up their dog so the coyote switches focus to them. Owners can then scream and make their presence known to the coyote.
“My suspicion is that, in the very large majority of those instances, the coyote will pull a 180 and just leave,” he said.
Murray added owners should never run away.
“In all likelihood, the coyote is much more scared of you than you are of it,” he said.