Whether on social media, in the news or just by word of mouth, Kirkland resident Jordan Furfaro has heard lots of chatter about the Kirkland coyote.
READ MORE: Kirkland coyote: residents on edge after multiple sightings
He contacted Global News to say that, about a month ago, while out for a walk with his dog, he saw different side of the creature.
“It was following us back to my house, it seemed super friendly, it was trying to play with my dog,” he said.
“It looked hungry, so I figured I’ll give it a little bit of dog food.”
“So, I went inside, got some dog food, put the bowl on the grass and basically, he just started devouring the food.”
READ MORE: What should you do if you come face to face with a coyote?
Furfaro explained when he first saw the coyote, he thought it was a stray dog, but as the animal ate, he began to realize it was actually a wild animal.
“I was literally in touching distance of the animal the whole time,” Furfaro told Global News.
“For, I would say, at least five minutes, if not more, and basically he just looked like he wanted to play. It kept picking up the bowl, throwing it around, jumping around.”
The Kirkland resident said while he hasn’t encountered the coyote since, and doesn’t intend on ever feeding it again, he doesn’t believe the animal is dangerous.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Coyote on the loose in Kirkland
“It’s a wild animal, I understand, but it’s obviously in an unfamiliar area and it’s going to try to protect itself if it feels the need to,” he said.
“I almost feel like if it did show any aggression to somebody, my thought is maybe it was provoked and that’s purely based on my experience and interaction with it.”
Skedaddle Urban Wildlife Specialist Chris Grabas insisted feeding coyotes is never a good idea.
READ MORE: Kirkland coyote: residents want town officials to focus on safety
“They’re very rarely going to be coming to you – unless somebody like you spoke with, has been feeding it,” he said.
“Hence, that’s where it gets that link…and who knows how it’s going to react if you don’t give them food.”
WATCH BELOW: Spotting the Kirkland coyote
This is a concern for officials at the Town of Kirkland.
Mayor Michel Gibson said authorities are currently taking steps to capture the wild animal.
“Especially where Harris Park is, towards the Trans-Canada, we have an empty lot there, zoned industrial – there’s a possibility that he’s living in that area,” Gibson told Global News.
“So, what we did is we contacted the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs and they gave us the permission to put a safe trap to capture and relocate him – not into an empty industrial lot, but into a wild forest.”
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