Tips coming in about snowmobilers who chased, killed coyote
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
P.E.I.'s conservation office says it has received about 10 tips so far offering information about a report that two snowmobiles chased down a coyote and killed it.
"This isn't hunting, this is pure poaching," said Wade MacKinnon, manager of investigation and enforcement with P.E.I.'s Department of Justice and Public Safety.
"This animal was run down and killed. It's horrific."
No one has been charged but MacKinnon said investigators do have suspects.
"We've been able to assess the information coming in and it has provided valuable information for us to pursue our case," he said.
In this case the animal died a slow, agonizing death.— Wade MacKinnon
They would still like to hear from anyone who has information about the incident, he said, and if they find the people responsible they will face serious charges.
Eyewitness report
His office had heard several third-hand reports from across the province this year and in years past of snowmobiles chasing down coyotes, but this was the first time an eyewitness had called the office to report it.
The caller said they witnessed the incident March 6 between 4:15 and 4:30 p.m. near Bideford in Prince County.
According to the caller, two snowmobiles pursued the coyote on the ice near Green Park, then one of them ran over the coyote, using the machine to pin it to the ice. There, it was attacked and killed by two dogs that were released from a kennel on a sleigh hauled by a second snowmobile.
The two people then took away the dead coyote.
'A slow, agonizing death'
Those with a licence can legally hunt coyotes between Oct. 1 and March 31.
"My office, we support hunting and fishing and trapping across this province as long as it's done legally and ethically and humanely — in this case, none of those apply," said MacKinnon.
"This is definitely not a legal activity," he said. "You cannot chase wildlife with a vehicle, be it a boat, a snowmobile, an ATV or an aircraft. It's quite illegal. But the horrific way the animal was killed is a concern as well."
"In this case the animal died a slow, agonizing death."
Anyone with information is being asked to call Crime Stoppers or to use the province's website to report poaching.
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