A coyote decoy used to keep away large birds from a dock on Barrie’s waterfront has reportedly been stolen. Owned by the Navy League of Canada Barrie Branch, the plastic decoy was attached to the end of the dock at the Sea Cadets’ current boathouse, which is just off of the Spirit Catcher parking lot. “A member of our branch was on site yesterday to get back a boat that was lost and damaged in the storm last Wednesday and he discovered that the coyote was gone,” Alexandra McNabb, the vice president of the Navy League of Canada Barrie Branch, tells CTV News. She says she thinks someone removed it between Friday and Monday since there was no severe weather and the coyote has been attached to that same dock for several years. According to McNabb the decoy helps to ward off cormorants and other birds that leave behind a mess of feces, which is a health and safety hazard for the cadets. It costs roughly $100 to replace a decoy like this, which McNabb says is the cost of half of a full Navy League cadet uniform. The Navy League of Canada Barrie Branch is a registered charity that relies on volunteers and community support to deliver free programming. “We are in the process of launching a fundraising campaign to support the needs of the cadet programs for our new site behind the General John Hayter Southshore Centre, so this adds an additional expense that we did not plan for in order to keep the cadets safe during their summer sailing program,” says McNabb. Since the decoy was reportedly stolen, the group has received some donations totaling around $70 to go towards a new decoy. Barrie police say they received an online report about a coyote decoy being stolen from the dock and that the incident is under investigation.
