Conservation officers are urging local residents to beware of coyotes after a small dog was snatched from a front yard in Burnaby Monday.

The coyote grabbed the dog from a yard on Greystone Drive near Squint Lake Park in the early evening hours after the pet had been let out to “do its business,” conservation officer Lonnie Schoenthal told the NOW.

article continues below

While it’s not unheard of for coyotes to pick off small pets, the behaviour is a concern in urban areas, according to Schoenthal.

“When we have a coyote who’s taken a pet, we’re potentially dealing with a coyote who may continue that behaviour,” he said.

The actions could escalate into the coyote trying to take down larger animals, but attacks on humans are very rare, and even an attack on a child would be very unlikely, according to Schoenthal.

“You’d have to leave a baby unattended and then the coyote might consider it,” he said.

Once a coyote has made a habit of snatching cats and small dogs, it’s difficult for conservation officers to identify the exact animal responsible, so more than one coyote might end up being destroyed to deal with the problem, according Schoenthal.

To avoid that outcome, and to keep pets safe, he’s urging residents keep coyotes from getting too comfortable with humans.

“A lot of the times the reason a coyote becomes so brazen is because someone is feeding coyotes in the area,” he said. “They’re making the coyote feel comfortable around humans, and that’s not what we want to do.”

Tips for co-existing harmoniously with coyotes in urban areas include not sending pets out alone into yards, keeping pets leashed during walks and never feeding or approaching coyotes.

Anyone observing an aggressive coyote should report it to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service’s 24-hour RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

For more information on co-existing with urban coyotes, visit the Stanley Park Ecological Society’s website at stanleyparkecology.ca/conservation/co-existing-with-coyotes.