Coyote that was attacking homeless people in Prince George found, killed

A coyote is pictured in this file photo. (Creative Commons)

Conservation officers in Prince George are confident they found and killed a coyote that was attacking homeless people in the city, some of whom were bitten in the face by the animal.

In total, six attacks were reported over the span of several days late last month. Sgt. Eamon McArthur says officers stepped up overnight patrols in response.

"We had sightings but coyotes can be quite fast and they managed to break contact and get into the woods and we weren't able to catch it with any of our live traps," he told CTV News.

On Sept. 30 a conservation officer found what is believed to be the offending coyote.

"He had received a report from the RCMP that a coyote was seen in the area of the courthouse approaching other homeless individuals. He responded and was able to get the coyotes to come towards him, and he was able to euthanize it," McArthur said.

While patrols continued in the following days, no other coyotes were seen and no additional attacks have been reported since. McArthur says the rash of attacks shows the dangers of coyotes or other wild animals becoming food-habituated.

"We 100 per cent confirmed that this animal was being hand fed or fed indirectly by people. And that is exactly why this situation happens," he said.

"We can't stress enough to let wildlife be wild. It doesn't matter how cute it is, it doesn't matter what you think – It's considered dangerous wildlife and by feeding it indirectly or directly you are putting other people's health and safety and possibly lives at risk."

Under the province's Wildlife Act, it is an offence to feed dangerous wildlife, which includes bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes. The offence carries a maximum fine of $100,000.

A number of cities also have municipal bylaws that prohibit feeding these animals. In Vancouver, for example, anyone caught feeding wildlife can be fined $500. That bylaw was passed in response to dozens of coyote attacks in Stanley Park.