A coyote, possibly with its entire family, has been making its home in Vancouver’s Hastings Park this summer – right in the middle of the racetrack.
Conservation officer Dave Cox said Hastings Park staff have been in touch with his team, but no conflicts or aggression from the coyotes have been reported. He said coyotes are not a big danger to humans.
“It’s quite rare that a coyote will attack a child or even go near people,” he said.
Dan Straker, who runs a “Co-Existing with Coyotes” program out of Stanley Park, is not surprised a coyote picked the racetrack as its new home.
“That’s a really open, grassy space, and that’s pretty common for coyotes,” he said, adding that the nearby train tracks make it ideal because coyote often use rail lines as a human-free transportation route.
He said coyotes are quite commonly seen in the Lower Mainland’s urban areas.
“We do get a lot of reports and we have been getting a lot of reports recently,” he said, but adds this year doesn’t seem to be any different from usual. He said coyotes in urban areas aren’t problematic unless they’re out during the day in places busy with people, but that hasn’t been the case with Hastings Park’s new resident.
Several packs of coyotes have been seen this summer settling into a Coquitlam neighbourhood, Westwood Plateau, which backs onto wilderness. One animal had to be put down in July after it attacked a dog and chased neighbourhood children.
Straker said coyotes prefer to stick to themselves rather than attack humans, so they shouldn’t be dangerous if left alone. If you do get close to a coyote, it may well be more afraid than you are, he said.
“The best thing is not to panic. Don’t run, but instead: scare them if you feel comfortable enough,” he said.
Straker said coyote-human conflicts are most often due to the animals getting fed by people. His group tells people to be careful they are not accidentally feeding coyotes with unsecured garbage and compost bins, pet dishes or overflowing bird feeders.
Cox said anyone who sees a coyote around town can get in touch with his team of conservation officers, and strongly advises it if a coyote is becoming a nuisance or a threat.
While coyote attacks on people are rare, they are more dangerous to pets. The BC SCPA advises pet owners to keep dogs and cats indoors from dusk to dawn, although the only way to fully guarantee a housecat’s safety is to keep it indoors at all times.
