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
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.