Coyote euthanized in Mill Creek Ravine after increased aggressive behavior – Edmonton

A large male coyote was euthanized Thursday night in Mill Creek Ravine, a city of Edmonton spokesperson confirmed.

Park ranger peace officers responded to the scene and, with the help of a contractor, euthanized the animal.

The area was closed to the public for approximately 90 minutes.

“We believe we have eliminated the coyote primarily responsible for the recent attacks,” city spokesman Mark Torjusen told Global News on Friday.

The area will be patrolled for the next few days and people are encouraged to report any further incidents to 311.

Liz Curry lives on the banks of the ravine and heard something going on Thursday night.

“It bothers me that they come with the guns and the contractor. I heard a gunshot last night so I assumed they had one,” she said.

“It bothered me last night… It was a last choice. I hope.”

She said she saw coyotes while walking her two dogs, but they always kept their distance.

Curry thinks the city could have been more proactive.

“The coyote problem has been around for over two weeks, so put up the signs so… Raise awareness.”

She also heard of the city’s concerns that someone might be intentionally feeding the coyotes.

“I think that’s silly. I’ve talked to people who know who does. Find this person. Step on his case; not the coyotes. They only come because she feeds them.

On Wednesday, the city said last week that park ranger peace officers received five complaints of coyote activity in the Mill Creek area and adjacent neighborhoods.

Four of the complaints involved coyote encounters with dogs, including a small dog who suffered serious injuries.

Devon Peterson used to walk his dog in the area most nights, but quit after their own close encounter.

“Pancake and I were in Mill Creek Park. It was Sunday August 14th. It was around 6 or 6:30 p.m. The park wasn’t too busy and when we got to a section of the park where we were alone, a coyote came out of nowhere.

“It surprised us both. It became quite close to Pancake. He slammed close to her. Luckily, she was quick enough to dodge it and she got out of the park.

But the coyote followed them, Peterson said, past a field of people and dogs.

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“It ran at us. He tried to run behind me and I chased him away.

“When I was holding her, I definitely liked it and tried to get around me. It was fearless.”

He said it was terrifying and they haven’t been back to the park since.

“It’s one thing for a coyote to jump. It’s another to be so relentless and not see yourself or other people as a deterrent.

Upon learning that a coyote has been euthanized, Peterson feels a little safer.

“We are really hopeful to return to the park and walk through it again as before.

“It’s sad that killing the coyote was the answer that had to happen,” Peterson said. “At the same time, it would have been terrible to let these incidents go on.”

A woman who lives in Avonemore, at the southern end of Mill Creek Ravine, told Global News that a coyote even approached her children playing in the yard in late August.

“It was slowly getting on my son, who was playing with the Hot Wheels track,” Crystal Benoit said.

“I could sort of see him in stealth mode.”

She managed to drive the animal away, but her family was still shaken and nervous.

Aggressive coyote behavior is on the rise in parts of Edmonton, according to area residents and those monitoring the animals’ behavior.

Colleen Cassady St. Clair, professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta and leader of the Edmonton Urban Coyote Project, said there has been an increase in reported coyote encounters in their database over the past month. last and that it was not limited to the ravine of Mill Creek.

“I’ve seen an unusually high number of coyote encounters across the city, and most of them involve pets – cats and dogs.”

Coyote complaints to the city’s 311 line in the first seven months of 2022 (the most recent data) were higher than in the previous five years.

The city is asking residents to be vigilant and reduce potential negative encounters with coyotes by walking dogs on leashes, keeping cats indoors, and removing all food sources from their properties.

When asked why the coyote was euthanized instead of trapped and moved, the city said this option was “extremely time-consuming and expensive” and usually resulted in “a learned coyote; one that is very difficult or impossible to trap in the future,” Torjusen said.

Trapping a single coyote can take weeks, a city spokesperson told Global News, and may or may not be successful.

Relocating coyotes, particularly if they pose a safety risk to humans, is not humane, efficient or responsible, the city added.

“This can potentially put others at risk as the behavior will most likely continue or worsen as the animal may become desperate upon release into territory where it is unaware of food or shelter sources.

“If a coyote’s behavior is habitual and aggressive towards people, then the best thing to do is euthanize.”

With files from Karen Bartko and Sarah Ryan, Global News