VIDEO: Coyote tracks Markham woman, small dog
Ravinder Malhi says she refuses to walk her miniature pinscher near her Bellcroft Lane home after incident

Yorkregion.com
Jeremy Grimaldi
Jan. 11, 2018

 

To see the video, click on the links in the article: https://www.yorkregion.com/community-story/8045675-video-coyote-tracks-markham-woman-small-dog/

 

Ravi Malhi can't forget the coyote's face.

She sees it in her dreams -- that's when she is able to sleep.

It was just past 11 a.m. Jan. 8, while walking her miniature pinscher, Coco, near her Bellcroft Lane home when she first laid eyes on the creature that stealthily snuck up on her, so that it was mere feet away before she even knew it.

"I turned and he was on my left-hand side looking at me," she said. "I can't forget his face. I picked up Coco and I threw snow at him and I started screaming and shaking my hands at him."

Although the noise worked in slowing the animal's progress somewhat, it refused to be deterred and kept tracking Malhi down the street as she continued to try to scare it away.

"He would come one or two steps forward and then stop. When I shook my hands, he would growl a little bit and show his teeth," the 65-year-old added, explaining as she continued to scream, walking backwards, she began to grow tired and lose her breath.

It was at this point that neighbour Muriah Umoquit, who works from home, heard the screams and came out with a shovel, banging it against her fence to try to scare the animal away.

"I thought it would take off, but it didn't," the mother-of-two, who works from home, said. "It would get really close and began lunging at her. She could hardly scream anymore. If she tripped or she dropped the dog, it would have been eaten.

"If a child had been walking him, there's no way the dog would have made it," Umoquit added.

Malhi said she is convinced that had Umoquit not come to her rescue, the coyote would have bitten her or attacked Coco.

Since the incident, Malhi said she's had trouble sleeping and spent two days on her couch without motivation to go anywhere.

"(Wednesday) was the first day I took Coco out, but I drove her to Hwy. 7. That was the safest place I could find," she said, explaining she will go for walks in the neighbourhood alone, but will no longer walk her dog in her neighbourhood and is worried about her children.

Malhi believes the government should do more about urban coyotes, considering this particular animal's aggressiveness.

"I can understand having to watch yourself in the nighttime, but this was the morning, beside the children's park," she said.

"If someone thinks this animal is a risk to public safety, they should contact 911 or their local police," said Yolanta Kowalski, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources. "As a last resort, homeowners can get a wildlife agent to remove a problem animal."

In the aftermath, Umoquit has posted her front door camera video on YouTube and another neighbour has released an image of the coyote running by her house.

Umoquit also posted a message on Facebook warning others to take heed.

"Small dog owners beware," she wrote. "The recent cold weather has made the local coyotes very hungry."

Helpful tips to keep coyotes away

-Do not feed coyotes (or other wildlife), either intentionally or unintentionally. It makes them less fearful of humans, and makes them accustomed to food provided by humans. Coyotes eat fruit, nuts and seeds, so pick ripe fruit from fruit trees, remove fallen fruit from the ground and keep bird feeders from overflowing.

-Properly store and maintain garbage containers, and put garbage at curbside the morning of the scheduled pickup rather than the night before.

-Coyotes are attracted to pet food and waste, so keep pet food indoors and ensure it is picked up and properly disposed of in composting bins.

-Use motion-sensor lighting and/or motion-activated sprinkler systems to make your property less attractive to coyotes and other nocturnal wildlife.

-Fence your property or yard. Fences should be at least six feet tall, with the bottom extending at least six inches below the ground and/or a foot outward, so coyotes cannot dig under the fence.

-Close off crawl spaces under porches, decks and sheds. Coyotes can use these areas for denning and raising young.