Stanley Park coyote attacks force Vancouver Triathlon to change course
Posted August 25, 2021 10:47 pm.
Last Updated August 25, 2021 10:48 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The Vancouver Triathalon is cutting out its running segment through Stanley Park due to the recent string of coyote attacks.
Trevor Soll is the race director, and says it’s the best decision to keep athletes safe, after nearly 40 attacks involving the animals in the last few months.
“We’re not going to impact the wildlife in the park,” he says.
“We were trying to find some alternate routing through the park that would allow us to keep the run component. We’ve pretty much exhausted all those options,” he says.
Still, even an event without one of the three parts of a triathlon is something Soll and potential competitors are looking forward to.
“If we can’t do the run then it just becomes a swim, bike, or “aqua bike” as it’s called. But at least we can still race.”
The Vancouver Triathlon is cutting out its running segment through Stanley Park due to recent string of coyote attacks. Trevor Soll is race director, he says it’s to keep athletes safe after nearly 40 attacks involving the animals in the last few months. @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/VwOsNVZWrF
— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) August 26, 2021
Concerns about these encounters with aggressive coyotes forced the Vancouver Park Board to close trails along the west side of the park in July and again earlier this month.
RELATED: Cull not the solution to stop coyote attacks in Stanley Park, expert says
On Monday, the BC Conservation Officer Service attempted to answer the questions they have been getting about how they are responding to the coyote attacks. They again recommended people avoid the park, particularly at dawn and dusk.
Other big races in B.C.’s Interior have been called off due to tightened public health restrictions, and Soll says the situation in Stanley Park isn’t the only thing complicating the planning.
“I’m calling it the ‘three C’s.’ It’s coyotes, COVID, and cancellations,” he says.
“We’re still waiting with bated breath to see if there’s going to be any changes within the Vancouver Metro area to the COVID restrictions, hopefully not.”
