Coyote attacks along popular North Vancouver trail prompt warning to leash dogs

Owners bringing dogs along hiking trails in a popular area of North Vancouver, B.C., are being warned to keep their animals leashed because coyotes have been attacking off-leash pets in the area, including a pair of huskies on Thursday.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District said several people have reported coyotes acting aggressively in the Lynn Headwaters area, a densely forested part of the region's largest park with a variety of trails, some of which are leash-optional for dogs.

"Metro Vancouver is aware of recent incidents around Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and Rice Lake involving coyotes displaying defensive behaviour toward off-leash dogs, as there are coyote mothers with young pups in the area," a statement read.

One such incident involved Elliott Marsh, a man who was jogging with his husky crosses along a loop in the Lynn Headwaters area around 10 a.m. PT on Thursday.

'Dog brawl'

As they approached Rice Lake in the Seymour Demonstration Forest, the dogs — Quinn and Kaia — took off into the woods and down an embankment toward the river.

"I heard a bunch of noises that are very unusual for them," said Marsh, who runs the loop with his dogs several times a week. "It sounded more like there was like a bit of a dog brawl, like almost like they'd run into a few other dogs and there's a bit of a fight going on."

Marsh went into the undergrowth, looked over the edge of the hill and saw Quinn, the bigger of the two dogs, running toward him with two coyotes on his tail.

"As soon as I started heading down, those two coyotes peeled off and left him alone," Marsh said.

Marsh then started looking for Kaia.

"I was kind of in a state of like panic in the sense that I thought I was going to be tracking down the rest of these coyotes or tracking down Kaia [and] finding them kind of essentially having a meal and she was going to be gone," he said.

Kaia soon popped out of the brush with three coyotes chasing her. Marsh said he was not sure whether the three coyotes included the same ones that chased Quinn or whether there were five coyotes in total. 

"I mean, they were hot on her tail. She had some blood on her left ear and around the scruff of her neck. And even though Quinn and I were there, [the coyotes] weren't ready to to let go of their prey."

Marsh said he swung a stray log at the coyotes to scare them away. 

Kaia needed stitches to repair a torn ear, but the owner said he and the animals were otherwise unhurt.

Born and raised on the North Shore, Marsh said he's run into black bears and lone coyotes before but never several coyotes at once. He said he hasn't run into issues with his dogs off-leash.

The regional district said the Lynn Headwaters Connector Trail is now an on-leash trail until further notice, while dogs are not allowed at all along the Rice Lake loop.

If a coyote approaches, people are advised to act aggressively by standing tall, yelling or making loud noises. They should not turn their back on an aggressive coyote or try to run because the animals have a natural instinct to chase, officials have said.

People are asked to report incidents to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service's R.A.P.P. line by calling 1-877-952-7277.