Residents blame coyotes for pets disappearing in Hunt Club neighbourhood
It’s a pet owner’s nightmare that Matthew Lisk never thought he and his family would have to deal with.
Peanut, the family’s eight-month-old Yorkie pup, has gone missing. Lisk and his fiancée believe she was snatched by a coyote. Neighbours in the area say sightings of coyotes have become common on Pinson Private, in the Hunt Club area. The family’s next-door neighbour even took a video of a coyote walking past her font door.
“It’s upsetting, it’s very upsetting; I have a small child and a fiancée and our house is very upset right now,” Lisk said. “There have been lots of people in this area who have lost pets. A fellow down the road lost his dog, an elderly couple nearby lost their cat the other day as well. It’s ongoing.”
One coyote has little fear of people and will walk right up to residents’ carports when they are outside. Lisk’s fiancée, Nathalie Lebrun, had to chase one off with a golf club last week.
“We are fearful someone else will get hurt, especially a small child,” Lebrun said. “We are hoping and praying no more animals get taken.”
The community has some small green spaces adjacent to the houses. Neighbours walking through the area have seen what appear to be entrances to coyote dens, which some have blocked with rocks in the hopes of discouraging the animals.
Lisk and his family hope the city will take action and humanely deal with the problem.
“We have a small park and a lot of children paly there,” Lisk said. “My concern is what’s going to happen if a child get bitten or worse.”
Coyote calls have been on the rise in Ottawa.
In 2021, the city of Ottawa received 476 calls related to coyote sightings and the city says there were more than 340 calls as of mid-September this year; however, multiple calls might be related to the same animal.
Ottawa Bylaw said last month it was in the process of hiring a wildlife specialist to keep track of coyotes’ movements in the city.
On Wednesday, city council voted to direct staff to report back to the the Community and Protective Services Committee in 2023 to recommend a coyote management strategy.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Dave Charbonneau.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.