OTTAWA -- Residents of Riverside South are on edge after two more coyote attacks in the neighbourhood over the past 24 hours.
Councillor Carol Anne Meehan tweeted Wednesday night that residents on Golden Springs Drive grabbed their brooms to chase off a coyote that grabbed a little dog being walked by its owner.
Thursday morning, Meehan said a coyote attacked a small dog in Beryl Gaffney Park near Prince of Wales Drive and Rideau Valley Drive.
Ottawa Police were on scene to investigate.
On Tuesday, Ottawa Police said a man was bitten on the back of the leg by a coyote in the area of Spratt Road and Goldeneye Way. Officers canvassed the area but were unable to locate the coyote.
Ottawa Police, Ottawa Bylaw Services and the City of Ottawa are working on public safety tips for the public when it comes to coyotes.
Meehan has said Ottawa Bylaw has hired a trapper to investigate coyote issues in the ward.
Coyotes can become accustomed to human environments
The executive director of the Ecomuseum Zoo in Montreal says there has been a “shift” in the behaviour of coyotes in urban areas.
“It’s certainly one of the most recent species to start really adapting close to humans and human habitations,” said David Rodrigue on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Leslie Roberts.
“What seems to be happening here is there’s a shift in their behaviour and in their habits in terms of hunting.”
Rodrigue says feeding coyotes and wildlife is one of the “worst things you can do,” allowing animals to get accustomed to human habitations.
“The cases where the coyotes actually ended up biting people were pretty much all cases that it became clear that some people were feeding these animals,” said Rodrigue about coyote issues in Montreal.
“When you do that, they get very habituated to people.”
Rodrigue says coyotes are here to stay, and we need to learn ways to make sure the animals doesn't become accustomed to the environment.
He adds the cases of coyote incidents went down in Montreal when the public stopped feeding coyotes.
