Keep pets away from Trafalgar Park, B.C. Conservation Officer Service warns of coyotes
Posted April 15, 2023 9:00 pm.
Last Updated April 15, 2023 9:02 pm.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) is warning of an increased coyote presence in Kitsilano after responding to several coyote-related complaints this week.
According to the COS, officers have responded to complaints of coyotes biting dogs and following people at Trafalgar Park in Vancouver.
Related article: Vancouver coyote reminder issued by park board
They are recommending people with pets should avoid the area.
One parkgoer who was in the area for his daughter’s softball practice, and who usually brings his border collie, says the team advised him not to.
“They said, ‘keep your dogs away at this point in time,” he told CityNews.
Mary Margaret McKinnon says she lives in the neighbourhood with her dog Amazon, and says they are no strangers to coyotes.
“I saw two yesterday, two juvenile ones, and they were just roaming around together,” McKinnon said.
“[I] saw quite a few [in] early March at UBC (The University of British Columbia), mostly small babies, and at Balaclava Park. I live across the street from Shuttlecock Park and we’ve seen three or four and I’ve heard quite a few at night howling and things like that.”
Mary Margaret McKinnon and her dog Amazon. (Angela Bower, CityNews Image)
In a statement to CityNews, the Vancouver Park Board says coyotes are having their pups at this time of year and may act more boldly as they protect their denning sites.
This could look like “escorting” humans and pets away from their dens, standing their ground, or acting more defensively if they perceive a threat.
Pets should be kept on a leash and under control, it adds.
According to the Stanley Park Ecology Coyote Sightings map, there have been over 180 reported sightings in the last six weeks.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) is warning of an increased coyote presence in Kitsilano after responding to several coyote-related complaints this week. (Angela Bower, CityNews Image)
If you do spot one, the board says not to approach and to back away slowly.
It adds that if the animal approaches you, make yourself big and stand tall with your arms stretched and yell. Most importantly — do not turn your back or run. Coyotes have a natural predatory instinct to chase whatever they think is prey and will pursue it, the board notes.
Anyone who spots a problem with a coyote, including aggression, being fed by humans, or if a person comes into physical contact with one, “should be reported immediately” the park board advises. Locals can call Provincial Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line at 1-877-952-7277.
