Video: Seven coyote cubs captured frolicking in front of Vancouver home

A family of coyote pups were captured by photographer Devon Yu in the Arbutus Ridge neighbourhood of Vancouver, May 18.

Wildlife photographer Devon Yu has been capturing iconic B.C. wildlife for almost 15 years, but it’s his latest encounter on a suburban street in Vancouver that has marked his rarest yet.

Yu snapped photographs and video of a coyote mother and her seven frolicking pups after being tipped off by a friend that a family had made its den under the front steps of a home on West 23rd Avenue in the Arbutus Ridge neighborhood.

“This was my first time shooting coyote pups,” says the photographer, who has lived in Vancouver for 25 years and has seen many a coyote in that time, but never their offspring.

“They are now some of my most memorable photos.”

Yu arrived the afternoon of May 18 to find several other photographers had already set themselves up, hoping to capture a glimpse and a shot of the family of eight. Luckily, he didn’t have to practice much patience before they made their appearance.

Within half an hour he spotted the mother, wandering in the back laneway beside the home. Around half an hour later she reappeared, this time at the home’s front door.

Despite her not bearing any food for her young, Yu says he was surprised to see the septet of spirited pups come out into the open swiftly after she reappeared. His mischievous subjects, who were photographed at a respectful distance from across the street using a 500-millimetre long lens, were more than happy to take centre stage in front of the camera, he says.

“They were not shy at all. The cubs were very co-operative,” says Yu.

“The seven cubs came out of hiding to play with her. After around two minutes, the mother left, but the cubs continued playing on the front lawn for about 40 minutes before going back to their hiding place.”

Yu visited the area the following day in an attempt to witness them again and snap more photos, but the family seems to have moved on. He suspects they are still in the area, but he hasn’t yet determined their location.

“It was amazing to see them in the city,” he says.

According to WildSafe BC, coyotes mate from late January to mid-March and typically produce a litter averaging five pups between April and mid-May, with the litter size depending on what food is available in the area.

The pups, most commonly born in dens that have been dug into soil, are born blind. Their eyes typically won’t open until they have reached between nine and 14 days of age, and the youngsters won’t emerge from their den until they have reached three weeks.

When the pups are old enough to fend for themselves, at about four to five months of age and typically towards the end of fall, they disperse, says the WildSafe BC website.