Spring brings coyotes and an urban wildlife safety message
City officials hope more Calgarians will howl when they spot wily coyotes and other urban wildlife.
A year after a number of aggressive run-ins with coyotes promoted the parks department to temporarily close a northwest park, the city is calling on Calgarians to report close encounters with all wildlife and to ensure their own behaviours aren’t acting as a magnet for urban critters.
Chris Manderson, urban conservation lead with city parks, said the city is limited when it comes to dealing with problem animals, so people should make sure they’re not part of the problem.
“It’s safe to say Calgary has got a tremendous amount of wildlife and open space, and one of the things that comes with that is the potential for conflict,” he said.
“We really need people to think about their role in how they interact with wildlife.”
Manderson noted coyotes became a particular concern for people in 2017, with about 183 of last year’s 994 coyote reports being described as “aggressive,” more than doubling the previous high over the past decade.
But Manderson said some who
report coyotes through the city’s 311 call centre might not be familiar enough with normal coyote behaviour to determine what would actually be considered aggressive.
In at least two cases last year, coyotes killed family pets inside the city.
Manderson noted that because coyotes are considered “pests” under Alberta animal laws, the city has the ability to destroy problem animals, though he notes that’s a rare step as culling coyotes can actually spark a population boom. As far as other wild urban animals are concerned, Manderson said the province’s Fish and Wildlife officers have to take the lead, as was the case when a cougar was shot and killed as it prowled near the Willow Park golf course last summer, as well as a grizzly bear that wandered into Griffith Woods Park in southwest Calgary last September.
With the arrival of spring in the city, Manderson said many coyotes will have new litters of puppies and is asking Calgarians to be vigilant with attractants such as food, as well as keeping a close eye on their pets while in open spaces.
“Only a small proportion of the calls are truly aggressive,” he said.
“Coyotes started denning in March and April, so you’ll see a lot of defensive behaviour.”
He said the best thing Calgarians can do to help manage and protect the city’s urban wildlife is to report sightings through 311 so their locations and demeanors can be tracked.
For more information about the city’s fauna, visit calgary.ca/wildlife