A Saskatoon city councillor says residents are frustrated with a policy regarding wildlife in the city after reports of aggressive coyotes were made in several parks.
The topic was brought up last week at city council by Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer who said the coyotes concern has been growing each year.
“This is a safety issue for my residents,” Donauer said. “We have seen a shift where we have seen coyotes be more aggressive.”
He said the increased population is likely due to the high number of rabbits in the city and that some coyotes don’t seem to be afraid of people, especially in the north end of the city.
“We’ve had a few reports on trails and other locations up in the north end where they are actually challenging people and actually challenging people with their pet and their dog,” he said, adding that some coyotes might be protecting a nearby den.
The city has placed signs near parks and the Meewasin riverbanks, warning residents where coyotes have been spotted.
Donauer said regardless of the reason a coyote might be challenging a person, it doesn’t excuse the city from taking action.
“Mostly, our policy is, until they get aggressive, the city of Saskatoon lets wildlife live within the city,” Donauer said, adding he has submitted a notice of motion to council to review the policy.
“Residents want a more fulsome response from the city so that they feel safe.”
He said the city recommends making yourself large and yelling loudly to scare off an approaching coyote, but Donauer said not everyone feels comfortable doing that.
“I want to find out what the problems are and what the public would like us to do and find out what other cities are doing,” he said. “I have talked to some of my colleagues in other cities and found out that they do have different policies about maybe trap and release and doing different things that the city hasn’t been doing.”