Watch above: The number of coyote sightings near and even inside Saskatoon city limits is on the rise. Meaghan Craig finds out why this is happening and what residents need to know to protect their surroundings.
SASKATOON – It’s an animal you may be startled to see in a residential neighbourhood or a commercial district but the number of urban coyote sightings appears to be on the rise. On Wednesday, city officials sent out a safety reminder to residents urging them to keep their distance from coyotes and other wildlife.
Stuart Wilson, who was out for a walk with his two dogs Wednesday at Crocus Prairie Park just north of the Regional Psychiatric Centre, says he often spots wildlife along the way.
“I’ve seen some coyotes at the farm that’s in between here and Circle Drive and they seem to hang around the hay bales and the manure pile that’s over here but my dogs kinda scare them up I think and they run by,” said Wilson.
Others out walking their dogs agreed with Wilson and said there’s nothing wrong with spotting a coyote once in a while.
“I saw one, it was a small one, kinda ran around,” said Anastasiya Chaban.
“They’re coyotes, I’m not too worried about coyotes I guess, they’re not wolves.”
Read more: Coyotes becoming more of a problem in urban Saskatchewan
City officials say sightings like these are normal at this time of year. Calls typically increase in the winter months because coyotes are much more active during the day.
“They’ve got to be a lot more active in the winter to find food because it’s so much colder,” said Jeff Boone, pest management supervisor with the City of Saskatoon.
According to Boone, there are a few things you can do if the encounter is a little too close for comfort.
“The important thing is not to panic, don’t run, keep an eye on the coyote, make sure you maintain escape routes for the animal because they will often dart away.”
He also recommends acting “big, bad and loud” by waving your arms and, if all else fails, make loud noises.
Residents are also urged to seal off access to decks and to secure fences and gates. Bring food in at night if you feed your pets outdoors and never put meat, eggs or dairy products in compost bins. Apple trees are also a food source for coyotes.
There have been 100 calls about coyotes within city limits this year. An approach to manage them, said Boone, will need to be long-term.
“Euthanizing coyotes is not a sustainable approach to managing coyotes because they are very territorial and if you remove one animal, another one will quickly in-fill and replace it in that available territory. Additionally if you capture them and move them out, they will actually return to that territory, they have a very strong territorial instinct,” said Boone.
For the most part, city officials say if you leave coyotes alone, they’ll leave you alone.
“Coyotes, there are some risks associated with coyotes to pets but those risks are very, very small. Typically it’s related to people feeding the coyotes and that’s the important thing we want to get across is that never feed coyotes.”
Anyone with concerns regarding coyotes or other wildlife within Saskatoon can call 306-975-3300. In case of an emergency, contact police at 306-975-8300.
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