Coyotes spotted in Cote-St-Luc

CTV Montreal: Coyotes in CSL A Cote-St-Luc resident photographed a family of coyotes, months after one of the animals was finally trapped in Kirkland.

Months after a coyote set off alarm bells for pet owners in Kirkland, a family of the critters has been spotted in Cote-St-Luc.

Resident Essie Vineberg captured photos of the coyotes in her backyard after her visiting mother-in-law spotted them.

“She saw them at 6:30 in the morning,” said Vineberg. “She showed me pictures later in the morning and I couldn’t believe what I saw.”

She emailed the photos to Cote-St-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, who promised to pass the images on to city officials.

That’s when Vineberg saw the coyotes for herself.

“At 5:00 in the afternoon, I was in the kitchen, starting to prepare for dinner and through my kitchen window I saw four coyotes underneath the tree,” she said. “Then I freaked out a little bit.”

She took some photos from the balcony, wary after hearing about the Kirkland coyote that had attacked a man and a small dog this past summer.

She called public security who directed her to the SPCA, but was told they only help if an animal is injured.

After posting her pictures online, she was contacted by Cote-St-Luc officials and told the city was planning action.

“CP Rail will be trapping as of Oct. 25 and we’re asking the provincial government if we can trap sooner, but it’s important to note they’re not dangerous,” said Brownstein. “If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. It’s very rare to find one in your backyard and we’ve posted steps on our website that you should take if you do see one.”

Experts interviewed by CTV this summer said there’s very little to be afraid of unless you feed the coyotes, though they advised keeping pets on leashes.