OTTAWA -- Ottawa police say they've responded to numerous calls about an aggressive coyote in Riverside South and Barrhaven this weekend.
Riverside South residents have reported incidents of an aggressive coyote attacking individuals in the Spratt Road and Earl Armstrong Road areas.
In a statement to CTV News last week, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources said: “Ministry staff have been in contact with a City of Ottawa employee on this particular issue to offer our support, and discussions are ongoing. The Ministry understands from this exchange that the City is working on a course of action.”
The City of Ottawa said in a statement, “The City’s role with respect to Large Wild Mammal Emergency Response does not include addressing issues such as coyote attacks. Matters of attacks on humans would be an immediate safety issue which would be handled by Ottawa Police."
In a release Sunday morning, police said, "The Ottawa Police Service responded to a number of calls in the last 24 hours regarding a coyote aggressively chasing members of the public in the area of Barrhaven as well as Riverside South."
Ottawa police did not immediately say how many calls were fielded about coyotes.
Police are advising residents to call 3-1-1 if a coyote is spotted in their neighbourhood, but to call 9-1-1 in the event of an immediate threat.
