In Thornhill, residents say 2020 is becoming the year of the coyote

Thestar.com
July 27, 2020
Miriam Lafontaine

Residents in a quiet suburban Thornhill neighbourhood say their daily routines have been completely altered after a pack of coyotes living nearby appears to have lost its fear of humans.

Coyote spottings in the ravine near Hefhill Park are not unusual, but 2020 has brought a change in the animals’ behaviour, residents and local politicians say.

“People aren’t even able to put their dogs in their backyards, even with fences, and they don’t feel safe having their small children in the backyard,” said Thornhill MPP Gila Martow, who added her office has received at least 50 complaints about the animals since the snow started melting.

Among the complaints: Two small dogs were snatched away, never to be seen again, and another mauled on its head, requiring stitches. Dozens of geese living in Oakbank Pond Park were victims of a massacre in recent weeks, she said.

“People told me that they no longer feel safe going on the walking trails in some of the ravines, because they’ve met up with coyotes there who were aggressive and followed them all the way out, growling at them,” Martow said.

Six residents who have lived in the area for at least a decade or more told the Star the coyotes’ behaviour has changed this year. Before 2020 the animals were not aggressive and usually only seen by those living directly next to them. Now they are frequently spotted in people’s yards, residential streets and on major intersections, the residents said.

Ariella Serman, who has lived in the area for the last 20 years, said the two small children living next door to her are often anxious when going outside. One of her neighbours, a 14-year-old girl, has also been chased by one of the coyotes.

“People are scared to take their kids out to the park for a walk,” she said, adding she usually spots the animals in packs of three or four.

Others, like Carol Katz, say the howling is keeping them up at night. And, Katz adds, the coyotes’ presence on her doorstep has deterred her from her morning jogs.

It’s only in recent months that residents have started complaining about being chased, said local Coun. Alan Shefman, something he attributes to other residents feeding the animals.

Signs have been put up around the ravine warning residents not to feed the animals, and actions have been taken to reduce food waste around the city. Residents have also been advised to remove bird seeds from their yards, to only put out trash immediately ahead of pickup, and the transit system has been asked to clear garbage at bus stops at a higher frequency.

“Once a coyote has experienced being fed, well guess what? They’re going to expect every person to provide food, they’ll stop and they’ll look at them, they’ll wonder if they’re getting food or not, and we end up with people getting scared,” Shefman explained.

And running can make a coyote even more curious, he said. “You need to stare them down, then back away, then you walk away. You don’t run away. If they see something running, they’ll run with it.”

Employees with Animal Services have been monitoring the area around the ravine where the coyotes live to “haze” the animals. That involves making loud noises at the animals; and is done with the hope of instilling a sense of fear in the animals, Shefman said.

Residents are being encouraged to make use of these techniques, and signs around the ravine advise them to carry umbrellas, which can be popped open to scare aggressive coyotes. One resident said it’s not uncommon to see people carrying around hockey sticks when walking outdoors.

But residents report little success scaring the coyotes.

“I took a black garbage bag like I’d been told and I was shaking it up and down, and they just stand there and look at you. They are very comfortable in this neighbourhood,” said Caline Schneider.

John Yakabuski, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, has since sent a letter to Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua advising the city to hire trappers or hunters to deal with the issue.

“I recognize that preventative measures and awareness may not always be effective in preventing conflicts with individual animals, especially when human-provided sources of food continue to be made available to coyotes,” Yakabuski wrote in the May 28 letter.

The city has yet to do this -- to Martow’s disappointment.

“At this point, I would say it’s impacting people’s quality of life, and I just can’t imagine why thousands of taxpayers should be held hostage by what Vaughan Animal Services says is six animals,” she said. “I care about animals as well, but I care about people more.”

The City of Vaughan did not offer the Star an up-to-date count of the coyote population in the area, but said it has not found rabies among the animals.

Shefman said the city hasn’t yet hired trappers or hunters because it is worried about the safety of residents, pets and other wildlife who could run into traps. To make matters more complex, provincial legislation dictates the animals can’t be moved any farther than one kilometre away.

“These animals can have an area that they patrol of many kilometres. You drop them one kilometre away, they’ll probably be back in their old area in five minutes,” he said.

Relocating them can also attract new coyotes into the area as packs fight to take over new turf -- “They want to become the king of that area,” Shefman said.

In the meantime, residents say they feel like the situation has reached a stalemate.

“These politicians play ping pong amongst each other, they just pass it back, back and forth, back and forth,” Schneider said.