Coyotes reported at Newmarket dog park and in wider community, Ministry of Natural Resources says

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 1, 2016
By Lisa Queen

Concerned residents have reported two sightings of coyotes at Newmarket’s dog park and four sightings in the broader community this year, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources says.

Coyotes were reported at the leash-free dog park at George Richardson Park on Bayview Parkway on Feb. 25 and Aug. 20. Since February, four coyotes in the Newmarket area have been reported, spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski said, adding the ministry does not investigate sightings or actively control coyote populations.

The news comes after the Town of Newmarket said last Friday it had been notified of coyote sightings around the dog park and issued tips for avoiding run-ins with the animals.

Meanwhile, dog owner Allison Sanderson said she and her 125-pound Great Pyrenees-Labrador Retriever, Dexter, had a nerve-wracking encounter with an “aggressive” coyote near the George Richardson Park playground Aug. 24.

The animal picked a fight with Dexter before running into a bush area, she said.

Sanderson said she was shocked by the encounter and says the wild canine was not intimidated and even watched her and Dexter from a distance after the scrap.

“Luckily, (we weren’t) hurt but it was a very scary situation,” she said Friday afternoon.

“We were on the walkway, nowhere near the forested area, and my dog was on his leash. If a coyote will approach a large dog, how can we be safe in a public, frequently-used park?”

Changes in land use and agricultural practices in the area, as well as weather and natural food shortages, may be leading to the encounters, the town says.

In a Facebook post last week, Councillor Jane Twinney said a dog was killed by a pack of coyotes along the Tom Taylor Trail, near the dog park. The dog was not on a leash at the time of the incident.

“With the increase of encounters of coyotes, it is important to keep pets on leash and close by at all times,” Twinney said, in the post. “It is extremely important to not allow your dog off leash and out of (sight).”

The ministry has not directly received any reports of coyotes attacking pets, Kowalski said.

“Coyotes are wary by nature and will avoid humans if possible. However, a coyote that has been fed either directly or indirectly will lose their fear of humans and become habituated,” she said in an email.

“Almost all cases of coyote attacks on dogs can be tied back to feeding. Attacks on pets are more likely to occur when pets are left unattended in backyards or allowed to walk off leash.”

Sanderson says several coyotes have been spotted in the park and neighbours told her they’ve watched a pack of five coyotes walk past their backyards on the nearby Red Deer Street in mid-afternoon.

“I want people to know they’re out there,” she said. “I want them to be safe. I’m worried about older people walking their small dogs. I would hate for somebody to get hurt. I understand that the coyotes are being pushed out of their areas, however public safety needs to take priority.”

Kowalski offered a number of tips to avoid encounters with coyotes:

• Never approach or feed coyotes, or wildlife
• Dispose of garbage and food waste in garbage bins, not on trails
• Do not feed pets outdoors
• Keep garbage secured and put out the morning of pick up, not the night before
• Do not use retractable leashes when walking dogs and keep dogs leashed at all times
• Always clean up after your dog

If you encounter a coyote:

• never turn your back on or run from a coyote
• back away from the animal while maintaining visual contact
• stand tall, wave your hands, make lots of noise- carry a whistle or other noisemaker
• carry a flashlight at night to scare off coyotes
• if a coyote poses an immediate threat, call 911