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PUBLIC
NOTICE - COYOTES
Homeowners can take steps to ensure coyotes aren’t attracted to their
property and to keep their pets safe. To reduce the potential for
coyote encounters, the following tips are provided for the public:
Do not approach or feed coyotes
- Coyotes are usually wary of humans and avoid people
whenever possible. However, they are wild animals and should not
be approached.
- People should NOT feed coyotes. Feeding them makes
the animals less
fearful of humans and habituates them to foods provided by humans.
- Aggressive behaviour towards people is unusual for coyotes,
but people should always exercise caution around wildlife.
Secure garbage and minimize
attractants on your property
- Properly store and maintain garbage containers to help
prevent coyotes and other animals from becoming a problem.
- Place trash bins inside an enclosed structure to discourage
the
presence of small rodents, which are an important food source for
coyotes.
- Pick ripe fruit from fruit trees and remove fallen fruit
from the
ground and keep bird feeders from overflowing as coyotes are fond of
fruit, nuts and seeds.
- Consider eliminating artificial water sources such as
ponds.
- Keep pet food indoors.
Keep all pets on leashes or
confined to a yard
Cats and small dogs may be seen as prey by coyotes, while larger dogs
may be injured in a confrontation. To avoid these situations
consider the following:
- As coyotes are primarily nocturnal, animals should be kept
inside at
night
- Keep cats indoors and do not allow pets to roam from home.
- Walk your dog on a leash at all times. If your yard does
not have a
fence, use a leash while on your property to keep your dog close to
you.
- Spay or neuter your dogs. Coyotes are attracted to,
and can mate
with, domestic dogs that have not been spayed or neutered.
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