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Undue coyote fears?

The community has been on alert as sightings of the wild animal increase

Repeated sightings of coyotes in our area and a related warning by the Toronto Police Service as a result of repeated sightings in the Don Mills area have put some area residents on edge about the safety of our local green spaces.
 

The recent death of a Toronto woman who was attacked by coyotes while hiking in Cape Breton has further heightened concerns, but Nathalie Karvonen, director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre, said coyotes are not something we need to fear.
 

“Attacks are rare,” Karvonen said. “They are not a threat to people. We just need to give realistic information to the public. Such an extreme case, as unfortunate as the [Cape Breton] incident is, does not make coyotes killers.”
 

Karvonen, 43, started the Toronto Wildlife Centre 17 years ago.
 

She says coyotes reappeared in growing numbers in the last few years in area ravines and large natural areas and are healthier and more noticeable now.
 

Ian McConachie, spokesperson for the Toronto Humane Society, said coyotes are fearful of other animals.
 

“Coyotes are typically fearful because of the ongoing development in the GTA. It’s pushing them into the city. More development has forced them down into the Don Valley, in the [nearby] valleys and Sunnybrook Park. You’ll find more, on the fringe of a green area.”
 

McConachie went on to say that they have not seen any dogs attacked in Toronto by coyotes recently.
 

“We get hundreds of calls a year, about coyotes lurking in backyards. There is no need to be on alert, only in certain situations,” Karvonen said.

Article exclusive to STREETS OF TORONTO