City asking residents to be vigilant as coyotes more active in the city with the mild winter
Chestermere Protective Services have issued a coyote warning after a lake front resident and his dog came face to face with a pair of coyotes in their back yard.
While the man and his larger breed dog were OK, Chestermere Municipal Enforcement Peace Officer Shawn Press is urging residents to be cautious, especially when letting smaller pets and children out to play.
“We’re having a pretty mild winter and the coyotes are coming out,” said Press, “and getting closer to residents and seem to be more fearless.”
“They’re out scavenging and out looking for food and things like that,” he said.
The possibility of encountering a coyote is increased since, with the lake frozen, the predators have an easier time moving about the lake and community.
While Press said that the coyotes that prompted the warning were showing less fear, there hasn’t been a case of a coyote being aggressive to people.
Some things that people can do to deter coyotes include, spot lights and or noise makers in yards,
If a coyote is encountered, Press said it’s important not to corner the animal and that shouting and waving arms to look big will generally scare them off.
“If you’re just yelling at them, waving your arms at them and trying to encourage them to go a different direction they usually will,” he said.
“I’ve never heard of an instance where they didn’t,” said Press.
If people do encounter or see a coyote in the city, Press said residents should report it to Alberta Fish and Wildlife at (403) 297-6423.
“If you see them or it’s an abnormal sighting like they’re in your back yard and they’re normally not absolutely report it to Fish and Wildlife because they do track the stats and the locations,” said Press.
“If it becomes a more regular occurrence, they have steps to try and reduce that impact on the coyotes as well as the people who live in the area,” he said.
While they want residents to be vigilant, Press said that likely people won’t encounter a coyote.
“It’s not a common problem in our area,” he said.
