Markham advises residents not to approach coyote dens, attempt to take photos of pups

Tell us if you see or hear coyotes, we'll add encounters to our map of coyote sightings in York Region

Yorkregion.com
April 5, 2023
Irene Wong

It is denning season and coyotes are frequently spotted travelling into residential areas looking for food and shelter before a new litter of pups is born.

A video shared on Reddit was going viral early this week, which captured a big coyote wandering across the street in the neighbourhood of Cornell Rouge and Morning Dove. Videos and pictures of coyotes in Markham neighbourhoods have been trending on social media.

Markham city staff tweeted an alert for residents to avoid “approach a coyote den to take pictures or to see pups”, as coyotes can become distressed when protecting their young.

There are other dos and don’ts to prevent encounters with coyotes:

DON’TS

Do not put out food for animals.

Do not put waste bins out until the morning of pickup.

Do not leave small pets outdoors unattended.

DOS

Keep waste in secure bins or store them in a secure building or shed.

Make sure outdoor compost containers are wildlife-proof.

Remove fallen fruit from trees and scattered bird seed from feeders.

Keep pet food inside.

There is an immediate fine of $615 for feeding wildlife.

The city is also educating residents for tips on what to do if they see a coyote, including:

Do not approach the animal.

Make noise, yell, clap your hands, stomp and wave your arms.

Carry a whistle or noisemaker if you are walking in known habitat areas.

While attacks on humans are very rare, social media viral videos and pictures raised the concern that people might get panic and start calling for coyotes to be killed or relocated.

The city explains that relocation of coyotes more than one kilometre away is not permitted under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. In addition, research shows that when coyotes are relocated from urban areas, they usually return home or become a problem elsewhere. Only in rare cases where an individual coyote is demonstrating unusual or aggressive behaviour or severe trauma or illness do animal control agencies attempt to capture coyotes.

To help you know if there are coyotes that may be entering residential areas close to you, we have put together a map to track coyote sightings in York Region.

If you see or hear a coyote in your neighbourhood, email newsroom@yrmg.com or message us on Twitter @yorkregion to let us know, and we'll add it to our map.