The days are getting shorter and the hunt for food is on.
There have been more and more coyote sightings recently in the area. Some even in town.
Brian Salt, Founder and Director of Rehabilitation of Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre says if a coyote were to come up to, it may not be because they want to attack you.
If one does come up to you, do not run away. Try and make yourself as big as possible and create noise to scare it away.
Salt says around this time of year, hunting becomes harder to do for the wild animals. Most of their prey has migrated or is getting ready to hibernate.
If approached by one, Salt says to wave your jacket around, stomp your feet, throw a stick and create as much noise as possible. If you are walking with a dog in the woods, be sure to have them on a leash to keep them safe.
It’s not recommended to leave your pets outside. Like cats, coyotes are very good at climbing trees.
Salt also recommends to not feed your pets outside. The smell could attract coyotes to your back door. Be sure to have a secure lid on your garbage as well. They key isn’t to keep coyotes out, it’s to not let them in.
If you have any brush or large piles of wood in your backyard it may be a good idea to remove them or tidy them up a bit. Salt says in the spring, a lot of the time coyotes will dig under the piles and create dens. Then they have pups and it’s survival of the fittest.
Written by Kyla Close
