Ontario cities urge residents to report coyote dens near homes during mating season
Several cities in Ontario are urging residents to report coyote dens near residential areas and be wary of the animals as mating season for the canines is underway.
The City of Toronto says coyotes may currently be more active and visible as they search for a potential mate and it is warning residents to keep their distance.
It says it received 252 reports of coyote sightings this January.
Burlington, west of Toronto, recorded seven unprovoked coyote attacks on humans last year and says residents should report sightings and dens near homes to the city.
Mississauga, Ont., has a similar message for residents and, like other cities, is urging people not to feed the animals.
Colleen St. Clair, a biological sciences professor at the University of Alberta, says coyotes, especially males, are quite mobile at this time of year as they search for mates.
St. Clair, who created the Edmonton Urban Coyote Project in 2009, says the coyote mating season generally runs from mid-January to mid-March with some variation each year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2023.
Credit: Ontario cities urge residents to report coyote dens near homes during mating season
