Coyote attacks prompt patrols, cameras
The city of Montreal is implementing measures to reduce coyote attacks after three were reported in the past week, two of them involving small children.
In a statement sent to the Montreal Gazette, the city said it’s working closely with the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks “to take action on the presence of coyotes on Montreal’s territory, in response to the situation as it evolves.”
The latest attack occurred Saturday around 6:30 p.m. in Parc des Hirondelles in Ahuntsic. Montreal police said a three-year-old girl suffered only minor injuries but was brought to a hospital as a precaution.
Around 9 p.m. the night before, a five-year-old boy was bitten in the calf while at Parc GabrielLalemant, less than a kilometre away from where Saturday’s attack took place. His injury was also considered minor, according to Urgences-Santé.
A week earlier, a five-year-old girl also suffered a minor injury to the lower body following a coyote bite, also in Parc des Hirondelles.
The city said it’s installing baits and cameras in the AhuntsicCartierville and Villeray–St-Michel–Parc-Extension boroughs, and starting a patrol to scare coyotes away in Parc des Hirondelles and along Papineau Avenue to St-Lucie Park, in collaboration with GUEPE, a wildlife-education group.
“The bait is to attract them so they can be seen on camera in order to evaluate their behaviour (to see whether they are aggressive or not),” Youssef Amane, a spokesperson for Montreal’s executive committee, explained.
Members of the patrol will give out flyers for dog owners.
The city is also going to provide information to residents about good practices for coexisting with coyotes in their neighbourhoods, including information panels in parks and a door-to-door distribution of newsletters in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough. Information evenings are also being held in daycares and schools.
“Do not feed them, do not chase them and keep pets on a leash,” the statement reads.
Information on living near coyotes is available on the city of Montreal’s website and residents can also call the Info-Coyote line (438-872-COYO).
Postmedia News
Presse Canadienne contributed to this report.