Coyotes euthanized after attacks in two Toronto neighbourhoods

Toronto has humanely euthanized two coyotes after escalating concerns from residents in the Liberty Village and Fort York area. Melissa Duggan reports.

Two coyotes believed to be responsible for attacking several dogs in the Liberty Village and Fort York areas have been euthanized, the City of Toronto says.

The municipality said this “difficult decision” comes amid a “continuation of escalated interactions with coyotes” and follows a comprehensive review conducted earlier this year, which entailed staff using aversion techniques on coyotes and educating residents on how to keep themselves and their pets safe.

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As part of this effort, the city also hired an independent panel to review its response and recommend next steps.

At the time, the panel said culling the coyotes was “not supported by evidence and is unlikely to produce desired results.”

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Further, two coyote expert companies were retained to “assess the four coyotes in the area, evaluate the City’s mitigation efforts, and engage in specialized aversion activities.”

“While the City successfully supports wildlife in its natural habitat across Toronto, if animal behaviour changes in a way that jeopardizes public safety, then the city must take action to protect residents. This has been done as a last resort after all options were exhausted,” the city said in a news release issued Tuesday.It went on to say that Toronto Animal Services has confirmed that one coyote in the area was responsible for “multiple negative encounters” and that its mate was “present during some encounters.”“This mated pair were humanely euthanized over the past few days following all provincial protocols and regulations. A third coyote has left the area, possibly due to increased aversion activities, which are unpleasant and unwelcoming to coyotes,” the city said.

“There is no evidence that the fourth coyote is reactive or habitualized to human interactions, nor has it been seen in the area recently.”

Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, who is the area’s councillor, called the situation with the coyotes “unprecedented” and said euthanizing the animals was a decision “not taken lightly but was a necessary step.”

“It followed all escalation protocols, including aversion attempts to force the coyotes out of the community, balancing safety and humane considerations,” Malik said in a statement.

“We’ll continue to work together to monitor and address this issue, for a safer community for all.”

In recent months, the City of Toronto had sought recommendations from an expert panel and undertook a number of actions to address the coyote situation in the two downtown west neighbourhoods, including targeted aversion, removing food sources, repairing broken fences, and improving lighting, among other things.

“Despite these actions, and consistent with independent assessments, it was identified that the Liberty Village and Fort York neighbourhoods have a confluence of several unique factors that have conditioned the coyotes to human interactions,” it said.

“This conditioning has in turn led to injuries and pet attacks. Serious challenges for this community have been posed by habitat displacement from local construction; high density pet and human population with limited green space; feeding of wildlife; dog excrement, which attracts rats – a food source for coyotes; and improper waste disposal.”

The city added that while coyotes are part of the city’s “urban landscape” and typically coexist with residents without issue, a “unique situation” developed in recent months requiring an “escalated response to keep the public and pets safe.”

It added that while coyotes will always live in neighbourhoods across the city, bylaw officers and city animal experts would continue to “monitor the area and educate residents to continue to use techniques to minimize the likelihood of future issues.”

• Downtown Toronto coyote action plan approved amid ‘unprecedented’ number of incidents

Currently, the city has a downtown Coyote Action Plan in place and continues to respond to individual incidents along with its effort to avert coyotes through waste management, property maintenance, bylaw enforcement, site modifications, and heightened public education, which it said would “help create a longer-term solution for wildlife, pet and human safety.”

That plan will also be used to inform broader updates to the city’s Coyote Response Strategy, which is set to be reviewed and voted on by council later this year.

“Coyotes are an important part of Toronto’s diverse ecology, helping to control rodent and rabbit populations. The City’s goal is to preserve wildlife and coexist with them. … [They] have adapted very well to life in the city as food and shelter are plentiful and natural predators are limited. So, these animals will continue to live near us,” said Dr. Esther Attard, the director of Toronto Animal Services.

“All urban dwellers are encouraged to remain vigilant in decreasing their coyote risk behaviours by continuing to pick up after their pet, eliminate food waste in public areas and leash their pets. I appreciate the community’s support in working with the City to ensure that the area is safe and habitable for all.”

Ruby Kooner, founder of the community group Coyote Safety Coalition, said she was “deeply saddened” by what happened to the coyotes.

“The city needs a better wildlife management policy and/or wildlife management strategy and I do wish that they would take relocation a little bit more seriously,” said Kooner.

She shared that her group has tallied 130 attacks so far this year, which resulted in the death of five dogs.

“I hope this is a lesson learned for everyone. So, one the city does need to be less complacent and have a suitable wildlife management strategy that benefits everyone, including wildlife,” Kooner said.

She added that the province should stop destroying animal habitats, referring to the Ontario Place redevelopment, which some residents have pointed to as the reason behind the rise in coyote attacks.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has said that it did not identify evidence of coyote habitats at Ontario Place’s West Island.

“The strategy of ignoring the situation, controlling the narrative, and minimizing attacks doesn’t actually stop wildlife and humans from having negative incidents, and the situation just grows,” Kooner said.

“I think a new strategy is required where we acknowledge what’s going on early on and look at how we proactively handle it and stop destroying their habitat.”