2 problem coyotes in downtown Toronto have been euthanized, city says

The City of Toronto says it's made the "difficult decision" to euthanize two problem coyotes in the Fort York, Liberty Village area, where a high number of coyote attacks over the past six months have left multiple pets dead and locals concerned for their safety.

In a news release Tuesday, the city said two coyotes had been humanely euthanized over the past few days following comprehensive reviews with external experts.

"Toronto Animal Services was able to confirm that one coyote in the area was responsible for multiple negative encounters, and his mate was present during some encounters," the release said. "This has been done as a last resort after all options were exhausted."

A third coyote has left the downtown area, according to the release, leaving just one known coyote in the Fort York, Liberty Village area. The remaining coyote has not recently been seen, the city says, and has shown no signs of being habituated to the presence of humans. 

Since the fall, people in the Fort York and Liberty Village neighbourhoods have raised safety concerns over a rise in coyote attacks, many of them involving pet owners and their dogs. Complaints prompted the city to begin sending regular coyote patrols into the area and create a downtown coyote action plan.

The city has also worked to improve lighting in the communities, repair fences, remove food sources and educate locals on how to deter coyotes and protect themselves against attacks.

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The city has announced plans to address the growing coyote problem in Liberty Village and Fort York, where several dogs have been attacked recently. Greg Ross reports.

Despite this, attacks have persisted. Between November 2024 and April 2025, the city says it received 335 reports of coyotes in Ward 10, where Fort York and Liberty Village are located. 

Citywide, reported coyote attacks on dogs have gone up from 36 in 2019 to 91 in 2024. Since November, the city says two dogs in the Fort York and Liberty Village area have been killed by coyotes.

The city continues to support co-habitation of wildlife and humans in the city, Tuesday's release said, but "if animal behaviour changes in a way that jeopardizes public safety, then the City must take action to protect residents."

An independent, third-party report released in March found that relocation is not a viable option, as provincial legislation prevents coyotes from being moved more than one kilometre.

That report found the prevalence of coyote encounters in the area stems from coyotes becoming conditioned to associate humans in the area as sources of food because of direct or indirect feeding. The report also found that local condo construction, and the redevelopment of nearby Ontario Place, have pushed the coyote population further into surrounding neighbourhoods.