Burnaby/Fraser Valley (SPCA) – February and March is mating season for coyotes, so you may see them around more than usual. While love is in the air, it’s especially important that you respect their space and be a responsible pet guardian.
Keep your dogs on leash when out walking, and stay vigilant in areas where coyotes may frequent. Keep your cats inside, and make sure pets are supervised outdoors.
If you see a coyote, you can scare them away by yelling, stamping your feet and waving your arms.
This may feel silly, but it will help coyotes keep their healthy fear of people and avoid future problems.
Learn more about co-existing with coyotes: https://spca.bc.ca/news/co-existing-with-coyotes/
- Never feed them. If a coyote grows accustomed to being fed by humans, they will lose their fear of people, which can lead to unwanted conflicts and aggression.
- Manage rodent attractants like seed from bird feeders and fallen fruit so coyotes are not drawn to your property; voles, mice, rats and squirrels make up the majority of a coyote’s diet.
- Keep garbage cans and compost bins clean and secured. In addition to preying on rodents, coyotes are scavengers who will take advantage of any available food sources.
- Keep your dog on leash when out walking, and never let your dog interact with or chase a coyote.
- Be extra vigilant in areas coyotes frequent – near golf courses, the edges of parks with overgrown vegetation or fields with tall grasses.
- Keep cats indoors, and monitor pets and small children outside.
- Protect farm animals. Use fencing at least two metres high, ensure cages are well-built and ideally contain animals indoors at night.
- Spay and neuter your pets. Coyotes are attracted to, and can mate with, unspayed or unneutered dogs. Unspayed female dogs in heat will attract male coyotes and unneutered dogs may be lured away by the scent of a female coyote in heat.
