[ad_1]
A chilling video of a small dog being attacked by a coyote in Edmonton has sparked an investigation by city park rangers.
The 33-second video on Facebook shows a woman walking with her small dog on a sidewalk near parking spaces. The dog is kept on a leash. Suddenly a coyote appears in front of the camera although it is behind the woman so she cannot see it. We then see the coyote running towards the dog and grabbing it with its mouth.
The woman then screams and begins to struggle, using the leash to snatch the dog from the coyote’s mouth. Once she frees her dog, she is heard screaming, “Oh my God!” and picks up his dog.
“When a coyote comes into contact with you or your pet, or exhibits fearless or aggressive behavior, always call 311,” Chrystal Coleman, spokesperson for the city of Edmonton, told Global News in a statement. email Wednesday.
The city hasn’t confirmed when the attack happened, but Coleman said it took place near Mill Creek Ravine, an area she says ‘has been a hotspot for incidents. aggressive coyotes over the past month”.
Colleen Cassady St. Clair, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, told Global News that she had seen the video and had since learned that “the dog, surprisingly, was not seriously hurt”.
“It was clearly a very predatory attack from this coyote – no doubt about it,” she said. “He was not provoked in any way by the dog.
“She was a brave lady who successfully defended her dog. She did whatever it took – yelling at the coyote, she didn’t run away and she didn’t let go of the leash and was able to get your pet to safety.
“Quite traumatic, I imagine, but a better ending than it could have been.”
Coleman said that in response to coyote incidents in one around the Mill Creek ravine recently, park ranger peace officers put up signs to warn people and also added more patrols to the area.
“A large family of coyotes, including several young juveniles, was finally confirmed in the southern Mill Creek ravine area,” she said. “Two adult coyotes were killed. The city thinks there may be other dens nearby.
READ MORE: Coyote euthanized in Mill Creek Ravine after increased aggressive behavior
St. Clair said she has heard reports that coyotes in the area have been deliberately fed by humans, which she says increases the likelihood of encounters with coyotes.
“Unfortunately, this situation, where coyotes have learned that people mean food, makes them lose all their fear of people,” she said. “It makes them really cheeky. And ultimately, that leads to this kind of conflict and the need to deal with (them) in lethal ways.”
“Food conditioning, that process of teaching animals to associate food with humans, can’t really be reversed. Food is such a great reward for animals and they don’t seem able to learn not to have that association once it’s formed. … There are really no more options once the coyotes act so aggressively.
READ MORE: Urban coyotes are getting bold in Edmonton, how to deter them
St. Clair said people sometimes feed coyotes knowingly, but sometimes feed them indirectly without realizing it, leaving out garbage, composting material or birdseed.
“It’s important to remove food sources from private property and never deliberately feed wildlife,” Coleman said. “Fines for illegal feeding range between $250 and $500.”
St. Clair said that while coyote attacks on domestic animals remain relatively rare, they have become more frequent in recent years. She said if Edmontonians see a coyote in a residential area, its mere presence is enough to warrant treating it aggressively so it learns to fear humans.
“Even if they don’t seem to be doing anything particularly daring,” she said. “Shout to them. If you feel comfortable doing so, chase them away. Throw things at them – we favor weighted tennis balls because they’re easy to throw with precision.
“Teach these coyotes not to trust people. This is the best way to maintain a certain coexistence between urban coyotes and people.
READ MORE: City investigates after pack of coyotes attacked human and dog in southwest Edmonton
St. Clair added that it’s important to keep pets on a leash to keep them safe, and it may be a good idea to carry a pole or hiking stick on walks.
She suggested the ability of the woman in the video to keep her dog safe was impressive.
“She didn’t give up. She just fought with everything she had.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
[ad_2]
Source link
Comments are closed.