Burlington, Ont.—Sept. 13, 2022— The City of Burlington has met with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Provincial Services Division to gain expert advice on the current situation and next steps to deal with a family of aggressive coyotes in south central Burlington.
MNRF staff shared the following information with City staff:
The City has received reports and photos of a bushel of corn left and frozen meals on the Centennial Multi-use Trail close to the site of the last attack. This must stop as it is attracting and conditioning the coyotes to be reliant on human feeding, leading to aggression and attacks on residents. Residents are being asked to report their concerns about direct or indirect feeding of wildlife to Animal Control at animalshelter@burlington.ca or 905-335-3030 and are reminded that hand and ground feeding wildlife on private or public property is prohibited by the City’s Lot Maintenance Bylaw (49-2022) and is subject to a fine.
City of Burlington Animal Services staff are patrolling the area to locate this family of coyotes and their den. They are also working with a Certified Wildlife Control Professional to eliminate the family of coyotes.
City of Burlington staff will present a report to council on coyote management recommendations at the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 9:30 a.m. for approval at the City of Burlington Special Council Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at noon.
The City is asking residents to continue to be vigilant in these areas and report coyote sightings using the form at burlington.ca/coyotes. Whistles are still available to help residents haze coyotes and can be picked up at Service Burlington and Burlington Public Library branches.
Anyone attacked by a coyote is advised to seek immediate medical attention and report the attack to the Halton Region Health Department and to the City of Burlington Animal Services at animalshelter@burlington.ca or 905-335-3030.
Municipalities are responsible for taking appropriate actions to manage resident coyote sightings, encounters and attacks and take appropriate action. If a coyote attacks a person, the City has a Council approved Coyote Response Strategy in place that is currently being followed to prioritize and deal with this situation.
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Quick Facts
Quote
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
“I cannot stress enough how critical it is not to feed wildlife, either intentionally or unintentionally. Feeding wild animals causes them to lose their fear of humans and that can lead to aggressive behaviour, including attacks. Once they attack a person, it’s our responsibility as a municipality to eliminate those animals because that behaviour cannot be unlearned. Please make sure you properly dispose of your food waste so that it does not become a potential food source for animals. We all need to do our part to keep each other safe with the wildlife that lives among us.”
Links and Resources
Photos
A bushel of corn and frozen meal trays illustrating intentional feeding of wildlife at Centennial Multi-use Trail and Cumberland Avenue
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Media contact:
Carla Marshall
Communications Advisor
carla.marshall@burlington.ca
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Phone: 905-335-7777
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