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On Saturday, February 21st, a coyote took
a small dog from a backyard in the Beaches area of Toronto,
presumably as food. This incident was, of course, very tragic for
both the dog and its family.
As a result of this unfortunate event, there has been
much talk about what to do about the situation. Included in media
coverage and people’s comments has been talk about an attack on
another dog, cats who have gone missing, how abnormal the coyote's
behaviour was, trapping and moving the coyotes to a more “suitable”
location, concern about danger to people, and even suggestions of
killing the coyotes who live in the area where the incident took
place.
Toronto Wildlife Centre would like to clarify some
common misconceptions:
Small dogs and cats being preyed upon by coyotes
Predators like coyotes do not distinguish between a
rabbit, a groundhog, a small dog or a small cat – they are all of
appropriate size to be considered potential food. Other predators,
such as birds of prey, may also eat small dogs and cats as a part of
their diet. While it is very upsetting for someone who loses a pet
to a wild predator, it is within the realm of “normal” behaviour for
a wild animal to eat another animal, whether that animal is domestic
or not.
“Abnormal behaviour”
A number of people have said that for a Coyote to
hunt during the day is abnormal. In the winter, food is scarce for
all wild animals. As a result, wildlife will take more chances and /
or modify the times of the day at which they seek food in order to
not starve during this challenging time of the year.
Chain-link fences are very easy for coyotes and some other wild
animals to climb, and do not pose much of a barrier for them if they
are hungry and there is food on the other side. In addition, if
people have been feeding coyotes in the area (as many people do), or
coyotes have been finding food sources that smell like humans (pet
food put outside, compost in yards, etc.), they may start to
consider people less of a threat and potentially come closer to
people / houses as a result. We would consider this coyote's
behaviour normal for an "urban" coyote, particularly in the winter.
Trapping and relocating coyotes
Coyotes are notoriously difficult (usually
impossible) to catch in humane cage traps. They are extremely smart
and wary of anything different. Regardless, even if they could be
trapped, it is illegal for wildlife in Ontario to be trapped and
relocated (as per the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act). If they
could be trapped and legally moved, and the area from which the
coyotes are being captured remains the same, other coyotes will
likely come along before too long and take their place in the
vacated territory. Most importantly, if the coyotes were moved to a
new area, they would be unlikely to survive – making this neither
"humane" nor a solution.
Danger to people
People are often afraid of coyotes and believe they
may pose a danger to them or their children. In reality, these
animals are very afraid of people and prefer to stay away from them
as much as they can. We know of only one case in recorded history in
Ontario when a coyote "attacked" someone (people were being nipped
by a coyote in a North York park). It is normal for people to be
afraid of the unknown, but coyotes are not dangerous to people.
Killing the coyotes as a solution
As mentioned, we believe the coyote who attacked the
chihuahua was acting within normal boundaries of behaviour, is
living in a habitat attractive to coyotes in general, and poses no
threat to people in the area. Killing the coyote would be an
overreaction and would achieve nothing. Before long, other coyotes
would likely be living in the same area, and the same concerns would
arise from local residents unless they are educated about the
realities of living near these beautiful wild creatures.
For more information, please call Toronto Wildlife
Centre's Wildlife Hotline @ (416) 631-0662 |
