Coyotes

Coyotes are naturally timid and will flee when confronted assertively. The following actions teach coyotes to maintain normal boundaries from humans:

• Be Big: Make yourself appear large, imposing or as threatening as you can. For example, stand up if possible, raise your arms and wave them or an article of clothing in the air.

• Be Loud: Making loud sounds or noises can help to scare a coyote away. Blow a whistle, stomp your feet, clap your hands, and yell “go away coyote” to alert people nearby.

• Be Threatening: Display assertive behaviour to scare the coyote away. For example, swing your walking stick or cane, shine a flashlight on the coyote, throw a tennis ball or a small pebble or stick in their direction. NEVER hit or injure a coyote with an object.

• If a coyote poses an immediate threat or danger to public safety - call 911.

• Allow your dog off leash only in designated leash-free parks.

• Walk your dog in areas of high pedestrian traffic such as busy streets, jogging and park trails, keeping your dog on leash and under your control at all times.

• Walk during daylight hours.

• Avoid walking along abandoned properties or densely forested areas.

• Keep your dog in sight, avoid using an extendable/flexi leash.

• Clean up after your dog – coyotes are attracted to dog feces.

• Spay and neuter your dogs – coyotes are attracted to, and can mate with, domestic dogs that have not been spayed or neutered.

• Encourage the coyote to keep moving by shouting and gesturing assertively, remember Be Big, Be Loud, Be Threatening.

• NEVER feed a coyote. Deliberate feeding of coyotes is irresponsible and allows them to adapt more easily to living and foraging for food around houses and yards.

Make your home unwelcoming and protect your pets:

• Remove long grass, dead brush and wood piles from your property and ensure gaps around and under decks and sheds are closed off. These conditions provide potential den sites for coyotes or other wild animals that attract coyotes.

• Use motion sensor lights.

• Remove all water and food sources from your yard, including birdseed and ripe/rotted fruit that has fallen to the ground.

• Store garbage, compost and pet food in a place wildlife cannot access. Move your bins to the curb the morning of pick up instead of the night before.

• Keep cats indoors or supervised when outside.

• Avoid feeding pets outdoors as the smell of the food may attract coyotes or the animals they hunt.

• Always monitor your pets when outdoors. If coyotes are in your area, do not let you pet out into your backyard alone.

Protect your Livestock:

• Where possible, bring your livestock into barns at night.

• Use guard animals such as donkeys, llamas, and dogs.

• If livestock has been killed by predators you may be eligible for compensation through the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program.

Contact a local officer from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

FACT: Statistically, coyotes are not a significant threat to the safety of humans. Coyote bites to  humans are very rare. 

FACT: Coyotes in Eastern Canada have some wolf DNA and this has been the case for many decades. A “Coywolf” does not exist – it’s just a nickname. Coyotes in Halton Hills are the same coyotes that have always been here. 

FACT: Coyotes are crepuscular, meaning they’re generally most active at dawn and dusk. However, coyotes are also opportunistic which means they will pursue a food source when the opportunity presents itself. Though sickly or rabid animals will often behave abnormally, simply being out during the day is not confirmation enough that there is something wrong.

FACT: Coyotes are not a significant predator of cats. Urban coyote diet studies show that they generally eat small rodents, fruit, insects and animals that were already dead. However, coyotes occasionally hunt cats, so take safety precautions.