What to do if you see a coyote in Winnipeg
A walk through South Osborne went from peaceful to startling earlier this week for a Winnipeg woman, who observed a coyote in the area.
“We were warned by another dog owner, who had a larger dog, that they had seen a coyote,” said Heather Stuart.
Stuart was out for a walk around 6:30 p.m. Monday with her friend, who brought along her small dogs. The two finished their walk faster than normal that night.
When they got back to the car, they drove around out of curiosity to see if the coyote was still in the area. Within a few minutes, they spotted it.
“Our reaction was (to) turn on the brights. We had a few toys in the car. We tried squeaking [them to make] noise,” said Stuart. “We were probably less than five metres away in the vehicle. So, yeah, kind of alarming.”
Stuart said within the last 10 days, she saw two notices online of coyotes in the area.
”Which seemed a little bit different than previous years. I don’t remember ever hearing about them that often,” Stuart said.
Coyotes were also recently spotted near a school in the Linden Woods area.
The province said in terms of coyote reports, it’s been a fairly normal year so far.
“In general, in the City of Winnipeg, we get about 60 to 70 reports of interactions between people and coyotes annually, and we haven’t seen a significant increase in the number we’re getting as of yet,” said Janine Wilmot, a human-wildlife coexistence biologist with the province.
However, Wilmot noted coyotes have adapted to living in urban areas throughout North America. While it’s not as common to see them in highly developed areas, Wilmot said it is possible, more so around dusk and dawn.
“Make sure you give the animal its space. You don’t want to approach it, you don’t want to crowd it,” said Wilmot.
“If you have kids or small pets with you, [it’s] really good to pick those up because you don’t know how they’re going to respond to the situation. You don’t want them starting to run because a run can trigger a chase response in a coyote.”
In the meantime, Stuart and her friend will be taking precautions when going for their walks.
“Definitely. I think until we, or maybe even just herself, feel a bit more comfortable, we’d be doing it more in the daylight,” said Stuart. “Maybe not at dusk.”
Wilmot said you don’t need to report every time you see a coyote, only if it is deliberately approaching you, causing damage to property, or injuring someone’s animal.
She said to better coexist with coyotes, and to keep them away from your property, you should make sure to secure any garbage or compost so a coyote can’t get into it, feed your pets inside to avoid any trace of food, and clean up any mess left behind from a bird feeder.
If you do have an encounter with a coyote within Winnipeg, you can call 204-945-5221 to report the incident.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.