City of Barrie addresses concerns over coyote encounters
Coyotes are no strangers to neighbourhoods in Barrie, with more sightings and encounters reported all the time.
The intelligent and adaptive canines usually avoid human interaction, but the City of Barrie believes some are becoming more adventurous because they are being fed.
This can pose a significant risk to pets, with many residents claiming coyotes have sized up or even injured their pets, leaving many wondering why the City isn't taking action to be rid of the wild animals.
However, the City of Barrie maintains that coyotes are an integral part of urban ecosystems, playing a crucial role in controlling the populations of rabbits, rats, and mice.
Understanding coyote behaviour can help prevent conflicts.
Coyote activity often peaks during specific times of the year, such as mating season from January to February, den selection and pup rearing from March to May, and scattering of pack members from September to December.
To deter coyotes from approaching homes and pets, the City says residents should take proactive measures, including securing garbage bins, removing attractants like pet food, and keeping pets leashed.
Pet owners, in particular, should take extra precautions.
While coyotes typically avoid humans, they may view small pets as prey or engage in confrontations with larger dogs.
The City says keeping pets leashed, especially during walks, and ensuring they're indoors at night are essential safety measures.
Residents are also encouraged to carry noise-making devices such as whistles or umbrellas when walking pets, as these can help scare off coyotes if encountered. Additionally, promptly cleaning up after pets and spaying or neutering them can mitigate potential conflicts.
The City of Barrie urges residents to report sightings of sick or injured wild animals to Enforcement Services at 705-739-4241.
In emergencies where public safety is at risk, dial 911 immediately.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
Southern Alberta store broken into by burly black bear
Staff at a small southern Alberta office supply store were shocked to find someone had broken into the business last week, but they were even more confused when they discovered the culprit was a bear.
Captain sentenced to 4 years for criminal negligence in fiery deaths of 34 aboard scuba boat
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in custody and three years supervised release for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel.
New scam targets Canada Carbon Rebate recipients
Fake text message and email campaigns trying to get money and information out of unsuspecting Canadian taxpayers have started circulating, just months after the federal government rebranded the carbon tax rebate the Canada Carbon Rebate.