Coyotes are getting too close for comfort for some residents of a northwest Calgary neighbourhood. An uptick in sightings has prompted calls for action by local officials amid rising fears of an attack.
- Scroll down or click here to vote in our poll of the day
Maureen Morrison, a mother of four with seven-year-old triplets, said she has seen coyotes emerge from under the deck of a nearby home in their Edgemont neighbourhood. She said a neighbour recently spotted a pair of coyotes mating next to a house in the area.
“I want them away from the kids,” Morrison told CTV Calgary on Friday. “I don’t want the coyotes harmed. I just want them moved away, especially before they have the pups.”
Morrison estimates that about 20 children live within the block where she believes the animals have made their makeshift den. She said they have not been shy about making their presence in the neighbourhood known.
“They are not fazed at all by humans, or cars for that matter,” Morrison said. “My neighbour across the street was shovelling her driveway after that snowfall last week and there was a coyote that came out and basically was just watching her.”
She said the coyotes appear to be making themselves at home on a property belonging to a woman who is not often around. City workers cannot go on the property without permission. The owner is elderly and has been difficult to reach.
Chris Manderson, the urban conservation lead with Calgary Parks, is confident the animals can be relocated.
“We work with some animal control companies that could probably help them out, and hopefully find a way to encourage the animals to move on,” he said.
Manderson notes the risk of an attack is greater if the coyotes are mating.
“When the pups are born, when they get a little bit older, we would probably expect to see some territorial or some defensive behaviour by the parents,” he said. “That’s when we start to see conflicts.”
The city has not ruled out killing the animals. Morrison said she just wants a solution before someone gets hurt.
“Until someone gets bit, they’re not going to do anything,” she said. “That’s my main concern, that nobody’s child or otherwise gets hurt, or even a pet for that matter.”
With a report from CTV Calgary’s Bill Macfarlane
