As I watched the tail end of the evening news in my living room, I suddenly heard yelling and gloved hands clapping loudly outside. My first thought was coyotes.
Sure enough, our two resident coyotes sauntered by on a lawn across the street, completely ignoring the human noise. The male is a handsome specimen. An erect head, an air of confidence and a gorgeous coat. The female is smaller with thin legs. She has had a limp in her left rear leg recently but that seems to have healed. As usual, they stopped at the big blue spruce across the street to deliver what we call “pee-mail”. They made their contribution and moved down the street towards the park.
That seems to be how most of the human-coyote interactions go in my neighbourhood. In fact, most of the time humans ignore the coyotes, although I do see cars slowing down to look at them. There is also the occasional honk of a horn if the coyote happens to be on the road, but that is very rare.
The coyotes on the other hand seem to want nothing to do with us. They are aware of us, but I would describe them as timid, only using the street if it is deserted. If there are any humans, they will try to achieve as much distance from them as possible. I wonder how often the scenarios I describe above are repeated in cities and suburbs across Ontario?
Apparently very often. Below is a Coyote and Fox Sightings Interactive Map showing data from 2019 to the present released by the City of Mississauga. The big area on the north edge without sightings is Pearson Airport.
Occasionally, we’ve reported coyotes to the city’s website but since we see them so frequently, reporting became tedious. I’m sure that a lot of people are of the same mind. Fortunately, there are enough sightings to give a clear impression of where they are in our neighbourhood.
There are no symbols indicating a conflict with a pet. And only a couple indicating an injured animal (red), which I presume is the resident female with the limp (at the time of writing, she is back to normal). Purple is when Mississauga Animal Services has been dispatched. Reasons aren’t specified.
There are several reasons why we see coyotes so often. Actually, we see a lot of everything from our house due to the living room’s large, south-facing windows and elevation above the street. Since we spend a lot of time there, it is normal to see the goings on including our resident pair.
The other thing I should mention is that although I live in suburban Mississauga, I’m in a neighbourhood that has a more natural setting than most. Our development was built in 1960 so the homes have big lots as was the norm then. Most of the large white oak trees were left standing as well. The big feature though is that the homes across the street from us back onto the Credit River Valley and Erindale Park. One hundred metres from my house is the trail that leads down into the valley. There is an extensive valley wall and almost a plateau before you get to the valley bottom proper.
There is a reason for detailing this. The plateau is where the coyotes den. We have found dens and have a pretty good idea where the current one is. And we’ve decided to just let it be. Shelter offered by big trees, sandy soil and some privacy make it attractive for raising a family. Even though we might not see them, we know they are there. In the summer, we hear them on a regular basis. I can’t think of a more interesting way to be awoken on a summer night than by the pack howling.
The other aspect of having the Credit River so close is that there is food for the coyotes. There are whitetail deer, eastern cottontail rabbits, opossums, raccoons, skunks and an overly healthy eastern grey squirrel population. I have observed some changes in the populations of those aforementioned animals and I believe the coyotes have had an influence.
We would often see deer tracks on the way down to the river. None this year. No rabbit sightings. Same with opossums. The raccoons are still around but not nearly as many as years past. I’ve twice seen the female coyote proudly carrying a squirrel down to the park. We have seen them stalking squirrels on many occasions. It doesn’t seem to have made much of a dent in the squirrel population although I think the squirrels are a lot more wary than they have been in the past.
We saw the coyote come out of the park and head down the side street stalking squirrels. I drove slowly while Natalie filmed.
I’d argue that the presence of the coyotes has likely created a more normal ecosystem just through predation. That likely isn’t the whole story though. The coyotes seem to follow a regular route to the street behind us and the rumour is that there is an elderly resident who keeps feeding them. It is definitely against the City of Mississauga bylaws but that doesn’t seem to stop the feeding. The city has often responded by posting this sign at a local park.
For Mississauga, residents feeding the coyotes is a problem. According to Mississauga Animal Services there are a lot of complaints about feeding but then the residents are reluctant to report someone for doing the feeding. People have been observed dropping loaves of bread in one of our local parks. The coyotes don’t mind at all. And we of course have no idea how much food is left out in private backyards.
So we have natural food and handouts but it hardly seems enough to feed a small pack of animals, especially young hungry coyotes. As research has shown, coyotes aren’t picky in what they eat so trash is definitely on the menu. Not far from where I live, trash can be found in abundance, from local take-out restaurants to a grocery store with a dumpster, even a mall parking lot. The coyotes don’t mind at all.
Coyote, Mississauga © Mike Badyk
Coyote, Mississauga © Mike Badyk
Coyote warning sign, Mississauga © Mike Badyk
There are also two elementary schools a short walk away. The school children are a source of food. Of course, the coyotes aren’t eating the children and I’m not trying to be funny. Younger kids get recess. They take snacks out into the school yard and some of this gets lost or tossed. Naturally, the coyotes don’t mind at all.
The parents of these children aren’t terribly happy to see coyotes sharing the schoolyard. It has been quite a controversy in our neighbourhood. It got to the point where our local councillor had to have an information session at one of the schools – Staff from Mississauga Animal Services did a presentation and explained much about our local coyote population.
In many locations across North America, coyotes have proven that they are highly adaptable and as such they will eat just about anything. A recent study from the west coast of the US highlighted that the number one food item in their scat is chicken. I can’t imagine that there are enough urban chickens to sustain a coyote population thus the alternative explanation is that there is a lot of chicken waste available. It is probably the same here in Southern Ontario. Number two on the food list in the study were pocket gophers. As we don’t have pocket gophers in Ontario, I’d suggest that eastern grey squirrels would be a local substitute.
As with most areas in the GTA there are rats. I don’t think a coyote would turn one down if the opportunity presented itself. We have seen rats in our backyard from time to time. Nothing for the past two years though. Circumstance? Coyote predation? It is difficult to say.
Here we have a highly adaptable animal that is likely going to be here for the long run. I love to see them. I’m a naturalist though and I would be the first to suggest that I am biased in their favour. That sense of wildness is why I live in this neighbourhood and the coyotes add to that.
Eastern coyote © Jacquie Dankner
I would be remiss if I didn’t present the opposing view about urban coyotes. There are many who want them gone. Eliminate them. Relocate them. Make them disappear. They don’t belong here. They are a threat.
Depending upon where you are, coyotes may attack. News and social media has been abuzz with the coyote sightings and attacks at Fort York and Liberty Village. It was certainly a sensation in February. As Edward Keenan reported in his article the community is on edge. “40 attacks in three months. Six in one night this week. Four dogs dead. Something has to change, and soon.”
Purely unscientific but I have asked most of our neighbourhood dog owners if they have had incidents with our coyotes. Not one said that they had, even those who own small dogs. I have no idea if the coyotes at Fort York are desperate, aggressive or they just have a bad personality/ habits. As I reported above, our Credit Woodlands coyotes are mostly timid.
The opinion I have heard is that the coyotes in Liberty Village and Fort York are aggressive because they lost their habitat at Ontario Place thanks to the construction of some sort of spa championed by the Ford government. So maybe they are desperate. Maybe they are getting ready to den. There are many unknowns here. Would all be well with the coyotes if the development at Ontario Place didn’t proceed? It is uncertain but the timing of the construction and the start of the attacks seem to coincide.
That doesn’t take away from the terror of being attacked by a coyote. I don’t currently have a pet but they are family. To have one seized by a wild animal and injured or killed would be an extremely traumatizing experience.
One such case comes from photographer Andrew Interisano, who has graced ON Nature magazine with his wonderful photograph. Andrew’s photo was taken in Niagara-on-the-Lake in 2021 where his family had decamped during the pandemic. The two coyotes pictured are somewhat notorious as they are bold. One of them attacked Andrew’s brother Chris and his small dog Gordie. Chris used Gordie’s leash to strike at the coyote. Eventually he got hold of a stick and chased the coyote off. He picked up Gordie and fled. Gordie was unhurt but Chris was really shaken.
So is it our human fault that we often have small dogs? Not everyone wants a dog that is big enough to make a coyote think twice about attacking them. How far do we go to prevent a coyote attack on a pet? Apparently pretty far. How about the Coyote Vest. Essentially it is body armour for dogs and cats complete with spikes to deter a coyote from trying to latch on. Extreme? Yes indeed.
It could go even more extreme. Canmore friends have hiking trails on the mountain flank a short walk from the houses on the south edge of town. You don’t go into those trails without a holster carrying a can of bear spray. Go into the town centre and you’ll see people wearing the holsters. It is just a fact of life there. But it is illegal to carry bear spray in a non-wilderness setting such as our cities.
As a substitute there is a product called “dog spray” (also known as protector spray or animal deterrent spray). I haven’t seen anyone carrying it yet but it’s probably just a matter of time. Despite the website saying it is legal, there is a huge grey area. It is a pepper spray of a sort. Pepper spray is illegal. I asked Mississauga Animal Services about it and they don’t use it. I hope we don’t have to come to that point.
The non-extreme approach used by various municipalities is largely the same. Educate the public as best as possible and learn to coexist with coyotes. Don’t feed them. Don’t make garbage accessible. Use caution when walking pets. That will satisfy some people but as is the case with the Liberty Village coyote attacks it doesn’t exactly ease the minds of the local residents. It is often a tough sell.
Eastern coyote, Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto © Noah Cole
I firmly believe that coyotes are here to stay. Just like raccoons, if you relocate a coyote others will come into take their place in the habitat. They are part of our urban fabric now. They will also continue to be a source of both enjoyment and controversy. The coyotes are prepared to coexist with us. The big question is whether or not we are prepared to coexist with them.
If you would like to read more about coyotes please visit urbancoyoteresearch.com. They are based in Chicago but much of what they have is directly applicable to us.
Epilogue
We haven’t seen our coyotes in awhile. Our neighbour has seen them with pups near the Credit River.
The pair of coyotes at Liberty Village have been euthanized as was reported on May 13th. A fine article, and well worth a read, appears on City News.
The City of Toronto claims it was a last resort and that relocation would be difficult. Maybe none of this would have happened if the construction at Ontario Place didn’t take place. Seems like nature always comes second and that a spa is much more valuable than a pair of inconvenient coyotes.
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