Horse attacked near possible coyote tracks prompts NCC trail closures
NCC closes 2 Pinhey Forest trails and Greenbelt Pathway West
The National Capital Commission is warning residents and farmers near south Woodroffe Avenue to keep livestock and pets indoors at night after a wildlife attack on a horse an agricultural property in the Greenbelt.
The NCC has closed two Pinhey Forest trails near the Nepean Sportsplex — trail 31 and 32 — and the Greenbelt Pathway West.
"Hikers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers and all users of the Greenbelt are asked to keep personal safety in mind and stay on official trails, and to keep their dogs on leashes," the NCC said in a news release Tuesday.
Conservation officers also set up traps in the area, which are being checked twice a day until further notice, the NCC said.
It comes after sightings of a coyote in the Woodroffe/Hunt Club area in November.
NCC conservation officers are continuing to work with municipal and provincial authorities about the sightings, which began Oct. 31.
At the end of November, the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary warned commuters against feeding the coyote.
On Monday, the sanctuary said in an email that "it's normal for coyotes to live in urban fringes and that their presence is more common than people realize."
The sanctuary also said the large tract of forest south of Hunt Club is a natural habitat for the coyote, that they're fearful of people, and that their diet consists of mainly rodents, rabbits, fruit and insects.
The NCC, meanwhile, is asking anyone who spots a coyote to call the NCC emergency line at 613-239-5353.
More information about coyotes is available on the NCC website.