Residents of a Canadian town have seen a significant uptick in encounters with local predators, which has city leaders re-evaluating their options.
What's happening?
According to CKOM, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, has seen a significant uptick in reported coyote sightings around the city. Saskatoon's Urban Biological Services team received 214 calls about coyote sightings in 2024, an increase from the 78 calls it received about them in 2023, and an increase from the 16 it got in 2022.
As a result, the Saskatoon City Council is considering changing its ordinances about feeding wildlife, along with other preventative actions.
Why are coyote sightings important?
Coyotes are a predatory and scavenging species that can live alongside humans in urban and suburban environments, as well as in the wilderness, allowing them to increase their numbers without necessarily coming into conflict with humans.
However, feeding coyotes, much like feeding any form of wildlife, is a dangerous pastime for people to undertake. When a species like coyotes is fed by people, the animals become less fearful and can quickly become more aggressive, especially if the source of food becomes less consistent or goes away.
"They can turn on the hand that feeds them very, very quickly," Darrell Crabbe, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, said to CKOM. "They also can become very aggressive at that point, because they've lost some of the fear they should have toward human beings."
Even improperly secured trash cans can create risks and problems. With food in ample supply, coyotes are turning up in more and more urban areas, like Houston, Texas.
Despite the risks, people continue to try to feed coyotes and are often attacked as a result. Coyote attacks lead to the animal immediately being put down to ensure it isn't rabid or a danger to other people.
What's being done about coyote sightings?
In Saskatoon, city ordinances have been proposed to further restrict the feeding of coyotes. While feeding wildlife is already against provincial ordinance, a city ban would add further restrictions and enforcement of those ordinances.
"I think this is a good start, but we need to follow through and make sure that we get these policies and bylaws entrenched and start enforcing them," Ward 5 representative Randy Donauer said, according to CKOM.
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Definitely 👍 Saskatoon is also looking into hiring a wildlife specialist to help monitor the population and starting an awareness campaign about the dangers of feeding animals.
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