Continued sightings of denning coyotes in the northwest Calgary community of Panorama Hills has led the City of Calgary to close a large green space in the neighbourhood.
The area — stretching from Country Hills Boulevard N.W. to Hidden Valley Boulevard N.W. — will be off limits for at least a month.
Last Friday, the pathway along the top of the escarpment near Panorama Hills Landing was closed by the city after an increase in coyote sightings in the neighbourhood.
“Coyotes in the area are acting with more aggression,” said City of Calgary ecologist Tanya Hope. “This escalating behaviour is their way of protecting their young when they feel there is threat nearby.”
Hope said despite closing the pathway, the city continues to receive reports of coyotes approaching people in the area.
“We’re also receiving information that people continue to walk past the warning signage and tape into the closed area,” she said.
Hope said coyotes are a key part of the city’s ecosystem and that Calgarians need to learn how to co-exist with them.
“If citizens continue to ignore the marked closures and threaten the coyotes by their sheer presence, the next steps the city will have to take could be lethal for the coyotes,” said Hope. “We don’t want to get to that point.”
Hope said the city will monitor the park area for at least one month, with plans to re-open public access once it’s deemed safe to do so.
WATCH BELOW : Coyote sightings in the city prompt walkway closures
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