Kirkland coyote: residents want town officials to focus on safety

KIRKLAND — A coyote is roaming the streets of Kirkland, and residents are coming forward with more and more stories of being bitten or chased by the wild animal.

READ MORE: Kirkland coyote: residents on edge after multiple sightings

“I decided to stop in that park to smoke a cigarette,” Arnault Laville told Global News.

“It took two minutes. I was looking at my cell, I looked up and there he was, two metres from me.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It took two minutes. I was looking at my cell, I looked up and there he was, two metres from me."

Laville, a photographer, said he’s planning to go back to the park to see if he can snap more pictures of the coyote.

READ MORE: What should you do if you come face to face with a coyote?

“I never heard him coming, so at first, I was surprised, but then it started to change into fear because he didn’t react like any other wild animal,” he said.

“He started coming closer and closer, so I started yelling at him, trying to look bigger. He didn’t care at all.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He started coming closer and closer, so I started yelling at him, trying to look bigger. He didn't care at all."

Global News has reached out to the Town of Kirkland multiple times since first covering the story in early June.

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Officials have yet to respond.

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Residents said they’re disappointed the town hasn’t been more pro-active, and want officials to take a stand to make sure the coyote — or coyotes — don’t hurt anyone.

Sean Ross and his wife were walking their dog around the block late at night recently when they came face to face with a coyote.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Coyote on the loose in Kirkland

The couple, their three young children and dog live right next to Harris Park.

Ross said he fears the coyote will hurt someone.

“I think the major problem in this case is that some people have been feeding him,” said Laville.

“Coyotes, usually, you might hear them, but to see them is really, really rare.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Coyotes, usually, you might hear them, but to see them is really, really rare."

Jacques Nadeau, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, said coyotes only rarely attack humans, but residents should be wary of allowing small pets off a leash.

On Friday, the ministry told Global News a permit to safely capture wild animals was delivered to the town.

If authorities find the coyote, they will bring it to a different location, where it will then be released into the wild.