The Stanley Park Ecology Society and the University of British Columbia are using trail cameras to learn more about urban coyotes.
They’re hoping Vancouver property owners who see regular visits from the wild canines will help them out by allowing researchers to put the motion-triggered cameras up at their homes.
Coverage of coyotes on Globalnews.ca:
Coyotes are vital to the health of cities.
They prey on rats, mice, squirrels and other small rodents that make up 40 to 60 per cent of their diet.
They also eat berries, nuts, compost and garbage.
Keeping those items inaccessible is the best way to ensure coyotes don’t become too used to humans — and to help them stay away.
READ MORE: Coyote caught in car grille released back into wild by Alberta officers
And while the animals have a bad reputation for eating family pets, studies have shown that one per cent of their diet is made up of small dogs and cats.
“Urban coyotes go a long way to try to avoid people by switching to a mainly nocturnal lifestyle,” Greg Hart, urban wildfire program coordinator at the Stanley Park Ecology Society, said in a news release.
“We can keep our pets safe by keeping dogs on a leash and cats indoors–especially at night.”
The goal of the study is to determine the best ways to humanely keep coyotes away from places where they are not welcomed.
In time, they will use the trail cameras to see whether motion-triggered sounds or lights are effective deterrents.
Check out the Stanley Park Ecology Society website if you’re interested in having a camera set up on your property.
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