THE VOICE | THURSDAY,MARCH 15,2018 | EDITORNICK VALKA

4

Co-Existing with Coyotes
STANLEY ranniiiyocy SOCIETY

Wily urban co

Stories by Amanda Poole

©

604 681 WILD (9453)
www:stanleyparkecology.ca

ver the past three months, South Vancouver
recorded the highest number of coyote en-
counters in Metro Vancouver.
Out of 139 total coyote occurrences, which
include sightings, pet attacks and aggression towards

Neighbours, not n

| Approximately 300 coyotes live in Metro Van a

allows an estimated population of 200 to 300 coyotes to
find pathways that make travel easier while feeding on
small animals. Rodents make up 90 percent of their diet

According to Sara Dubois, BC SPCA’s chief scientific

officer, the rodent population

Attendees of Stanley Park Ecology Society's coyote dissection event take a look humans, South Vancouver accounted for 39, nearly one thrives due to humans creat- [| ,
inside the deceased coyote's mouth. This coyote was found dead two months ago at_—_—third of all cases. ; ing a large amount of garbage, People us
the VanDusen Botanical Garden. aiano4 Poole PHOTO Vancouver is composed of a lot of green space, which which in turn causes the coyote
population to prosper because tl
“If we didnt have
Vancouver E ae | STINGS=S & yw | coyotes we would have shouldn't
® Granville Island a huge infestation of
EF vrversiv Public Market se) rodents. That is why ones we ha
Columbia 3 they are really impor- sm all and
tant ... the ecological
7 } FE value that they are hav- :
ap ae: y thre.
eos “aes ing in this community,”
piri ve PY | Dubois said. “People — SARA DUBOIS, BC SI
| Parl & usually freak out be-
cause they think they LL
a t)

“a!

Burnaby
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yy Alepunog

Marina 1+ =

Map of Metro Vancouver showing all coyote sightings and incidents from Dec. 1, 2017 to March 1, 2018. Out of the 139 total coyote encounters in Metro
Vancouver, 39 took place in South Vancouver. GooGLé MAPS IMAGE COURTESY OF STANLEY PARK ECOLOGY SOCIETY

shouldn't be here and

they are threatening, but actually coyotes are very
fluffy ... the ones we have here are very small and
generally not threatening.”

Since their arrival to Vancouver over 30 years
ago, there have been eight attacks on humans:
four of those cases involved coyotes being fed by
humans.

WildSafeBC provincial coordinator Frank
Ritcey said that generally coyotes do not want
anything to do with people.

“When you do hear reports of coyotes fight-
ing someone usually it's because that coyote has
been fed at some time and so that associates