At Wednesday’s City Council Meeting Councillor Randy Donauer said there have been numerous incidents this year, more so than previous years, involving aggressive coyotes. The Ward 5 City Councillor says he has received several pictures and videos showing coyotes deliberately challenging residents.

“Snapping and snarling and growling at them and trying to follow them and get to them, or their dog or their child. I’ve had residents who’ve actually had to use bear spray to get a coyote off of them. Some who’ve told me they won’t use the paths until we take care of this issue and I’ve had residents who’ve told me they’ve gone out to buy bear spray.”

Donauer says the incidents are not exclusive to paths along the river. Right now, the City of Saskatoon puts up signs where there are sightings and residents are encouraged to challenge coyotes, but Donauer notes not everyone is comfortable doing that. Another option is calling police, but he says the residents he has talked to said police didn’t feel the ability to take action.

“I had one resident where a coyote was snapping and snarling and challenging her and trying to get at her or her dog. She actually had to have a neighbour come and rescue her and divert the attention of the coyote who then went after that neighbour.”  He says these are not minor incidents where someone sees a coyote and is a little disconcerted by it.

Both motions he put forward passed including asking Administration to report on best practices regarding wildlife in the city, specifically aggressive coyotes, with options to keep residents and wildlife safe from harm. In a second motion which involves, he suggests, maybe some of the problems needing to be addressed and possibly leading to the first motion, is for Administration to report back on a bylaw to ban or restrict feeding of wildlife within the City of Saskatoon.

There are provincial statutes around feeding of wildlife, but Conservation Officers won’t enforce the statutes within the City of Saskatoon.