Windsor resident wants coyote warning signs at Malden Park

CTV Windsor: Coyote at Malden Park Windsor resident is warning others after coyote sighting at Malden Park. Bob Bellacicco explains.

A Windsor resident is warning others after she claims to have seen a coyote at Malden Park.

Hundreds of people can be seen every day at the 175-acre park, taking advantage of the cycling and walking trails where people can also see different animals like deer and rabbits.

But Catherine Murphy says she was startled to see a coyote when she was walking her German Shepherd dog in the west Windsor park with a friend on Sunday.

Murphy says they became really scared when the coyote got up on a little berm and started howling.

"A part of me thought it had a den over there, cubs, babies and maybe we were encroaching on them and getting too close and it was warning us," says Murphy.

When Murphy went to warn two nearby men about the coyotes, they told her they saw the coyote take down a deer earlier.

Murphy wants warning signs to be posted by the City of Windsor indicating that coyotes may be present.

Windsor naturalist Karen Cedar says coyotes are everywhere in the city and are quite common in Malden Park.

"We've had regular reports of them downtown, in the east end west end, throughout the Ojibway complex so they're quite a normal occurrence around the city," says Cedar.

Cedar tells CTV Windsor howling is not a sign that coyotes are getting ready to attack, but rather they are speaking and singing with family members.

If you see a coyote, Cedar recommends you make a loud noise to scare them away.

In LaSalle, residents have reported several coyote sightings and attacks on small dogs.

The town recently held a meeting with police and officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources to review what can be done.