the 1980's. MARTIN COOPER PHOTO uisances nd act as pest control humans with food,” Ritcey said. “That’s why they are so bold as to come up to someone and nip at them and try to get them to give them food.” ‘The Stanley Park Ecology Society’s program, Co- ually freak out rey think they be here... the ve here are very generally not atening.” CA CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER Existing with Coyotes, aims to mitigate conflict between people, pets and coyotes. Celina Starnes, public education and _ outreach manager for the society, led a coyote dissection event Tuesday night, with the pur- pose of informing attendees on how coyotes have lived around humans for so long by studying their anatomy, last meal and cause of death. ‘The coyote used in the dissection was found dead at the VanDusen Botani- cal Garden two months ago and was frozen in order to be studied and used for the event. “The interesting thing about [coyotes] is their insides start to look a whole like people’s insides because of our co-evolution,” Starnes said. “So a lot of the [coyotes] and human's diets have been the same for so long that there’s been a lot of convergent evolution.” Unfortunately for those who attended, the only trace of food in the dissected coyote'’s stomach was a single feather and a stick. "What often happens when we find them, they've been away from a food source for a while,” Starnes said. "She probably nursed her injuries until she died." waRfil pe ES in coYOT ARE A Coyotes are wild animals and can be dangerous. Do not encourage them to approach. They are smart, fast, & will take what they can get. All Pets Must Be Under Direct Control. For — Sa & the Safety of the Animals... KEEP THEM AT A DISTANCE! : .-NEVER FEED Coyotes! @ a San News&Features 5 es ee objects leave them unfazed. MaAgTin COOPER PHOTO Golf courses offer a natural hal Ayr ss! of - ~ o/ OT eet sha SHR he See PON peer iH bitat within the city, such as the Riverway Golf Course in Burnaby for these coyotes. There are four or five coyotes that currently reside on the Langara Golf Course as well. MARTIN COOPER PHOTOS COYOTE FACTS Average life span Average life span J-/ years 10-12 years SOURCE: STANLEYPARKECOLOGYSOCIETY.CA 31 lbs Average weight of a coyote is that of a small child 65 km/h Max running speed 80% Diet is made up primarily of mice, squirrels and rabbits in the city in the wild Coyotes have lived in metropolitan areas for so long that encountering humans and man-made Fairway: a home in one Working family of coyotes lodging at the Langara Golf Course ocated in the heart of South Vancouver, Langara Golf Course acts as a natural home to a family of coyotes. An estimated four or five coyotes hunt for food on the course day and night, regardless of the 300 golfers who play the course each day, ac- cording to Alex Young, golf shop supervisor at the Langara Golf Course. “120 acres right in the middle of the city, that pretty much mir- rors open natural land, provides for good hunting grounds for them and a good place to raise their young,” he said. “Lots of other natural food sources, not just animals, but berries and nuts are there too.” Despite the common misconcep- tion that coyotes are dangerous to humans, Young said they are ac- cepted on the course and serve as an integral part of the ecosystem. “What I appreciate about them being around is not exactly some- thing that you see, it’s something you don't see,” Young said. “If they are doing their job and finding their own food sources then they will keep the population of rac- coons and rabbits down, and other animals that could really disrupt the ecosystem if they are overpopu- lated.” Young said the coyotes seem to be aware of the space they share with the golfers because there have been no conflicts to date and they tend to hide away while people are playing. "If we do see them at the pro shop ... it's early in the morning or in the evening, those are the peak hunting hours,” he said. Although Young has become fa- miliar with the coyotes, to the point that he can recognize them indi- vidually, he has not gone so far as to give them names. “Normally we would only see kind of the older ones that are out hunting for food and their young usually stay in the den, Young said. “I can usually determine if it’s the same coyote I have seen by various patches I have seen before.”