Winnipeg woman urges vigilance after 'cute' coyote pup sneaks into home
About 140 coyote sightings reported since April, including 4 on Wednesday: province
A Winnipeg resident was shocked after a coyote pup invited itself into her home near Assiniboine Park on Wednesday night, and she's urging other people in the area to stay aware of their surroundings.
Cynthia Carr noticed something flash by her as she opened a sliding door to her backyard around 6 p.m. to let her cat in.
When she looked for it, she saw what she initially thought was a puppy sitting in a corner under a table.
But "it didn't have a wagging tail like a dog, [which] told me that I feel like this is a wild animal," Carr, an epidemiologist and the founder of EPI Research Inc., told CBC News on Thursday.
She called provincial conservation officers, who came to the home within an hour to retrieve the pup. While the pup remained calm and quiet before conservation officials arrived, Carr said it "became a wild animal" as officers got near it.
"Although these animals might look cute, they know how to survive in the wild and are equipped to do so," she said, adding that coming into contact with their saliva or feces carries disease risks.
"You certainly wouldn't want yourself, your child, anybody, to be anywhere near it."
Conservation officers managed to get the pup out through a ground-floor window, and it took off. Carr said they told her the young coyote was likely stalking her cat to eat it.
"There's no coincidence that right after the cat came in, the coyote came in, so it got into my yard somehow, which is fenced."
A provincial government spokesperson confirmed the incident at Carr's home, adding that they had received four reports of coyote sightings that day.
There have been about 140 calls involving coyotes since the beginning of April, the spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News.
Two children were hurt in separate coyote attacks in Winnipeg's North Kildonan neighbourhood in late June. Manitoba conservation officers have shot and killed five coyotes in the area since then, a provincial spokesperson told CBC News on Thursday.
While the spokesperson did not confirm whether the coyotes were involved in the June attacks, conservation officials have previously said they were confident at least two of the animals had become habituated to human presence, meaning they were no longer afraid of humans.
Carr, who has lived near Assiniboine Park for about 18 years, said there's plenty of wildlife in the neighbourhood, but Wednesday was the first time she'd seen a coyote.
She's warning others nearby to stay aware of their surroundings at night and when letting pets outdoors.
"What I've read is that, because they're afraid of humans, they tend to go out at night," she said.
"So, if you're walking your dog, kind of at dusk or at nighttime, they might try to track the dog."
How to prevent attacks
Although coyote attacks are uncommon, the province has encouraged Manitobans to take extra precautions to prevent attacks by monitoring young children and keeping small pets on a leash while outdoors.
People should also keep food and food waste out of their yards, including bird seed, fallen fruit, pet food and garbage. The province urges people not to feed coyotes, since that can lead to the animals becoming more comfortable and aggressive when encountering people, as well as other wildlife that can attract predators to an area.
Anyone who encounters a coyote should avoid running away, since that can lead to a chase, the province has said. Instead, it recommends making noise and trying to appear large to intimidate the animal.
Sticking with a group, carrying a walking stick, an umbrella or a few rocks to throw at a coyote can also help prevent an attack, according to the province.
Anyone who wants to report a conflict with wildlife should call the province's Turn in Poachers line at 1-800-782-0076.
WATCH | Cynthia Carr describes her coyote encounter:
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With files from Meaghan Ketcheson