N.S. park officers kill coyote that chased bike, search for another that bit rider – Halifax | 24CA News
Parks Canada says it has killed a coyote that was chasing a bike owner on Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail, whereas conservation officers preserve trying to find one other coyote that bit a unique bike rider’s arm.
Erich Muntz, a useful resource conservation supervisor with the company, stated in an interview Saturday that the chasing behaviour within the newest incident was thought-about harmful sufficient to warrant taking pictures the animal.
He says the incident occurred on Friday on MacKenzie Mountain in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, when the coyote was seen chasing motorcyclists after which a biker on the steep street about 200 kilometres west of Sydney, N.S.
Meanwhile, as of Saturday, conservation officers hadn’t but situated the grownup coyote that attacked and bit a bike owner within the Green Cove, N.S., space, about 50 kilometres east of MacKenzie Mountain, on Wednesday.
Muntz says conservation officers had been conscious of the coyote killed Friday for a number of weeks, because it beforehand exhibited a fearlessness towards people and it had been seen chasing bikes.
He says coyotes are thought-about harmful once they start chasing bicycles, particularly on a steep hill like MacKenzie Mountain, the place cyclists typically are shifting slowly.
“If you have to slow down to get up a hill, you are very vulnerable,” he stated.
Muntz stated there’s a mixture of potential causes on why the animals chase cyclists. The coyotes could also be irritated by the sound and movement of the wheels.
“I do believe that there is something also related to the physical sounds of bicycles that some coyotes just don’t like … It’s a behaviour in canines that’s hard to explain,” he stated.
In addition, Muntz stated the behaviour could also be associated to some individuals feeding the coyotes, inflicting them to lose their concern of individuals.
“Coyotes can become quite fearless and then, when they don’t get rewarded by being fed, they may become more aggressive,” stated Muntz.
He added there may additionally be a decreased abundance of pure prey — together with the snowshoe hare, whitetail deer and moose — accessible for the coyote within the park.
The parks service had stated within the first assault, a coyote crossed the freeway, pursued the bike owner, and bit her after she received off her bike, inflicting a minor wound.
He stated patrols have been persevering with Saturday within the Green Cove space the place the assault occurred.
Coyote assaults within the nationwide park should not unusual, and a deadly assault occurred in October 2009. Taylor Mitchell, a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Toronto, died whereas climbing the park’s Skyline Trail alone. Her loss of life was the second deadly coyote assault recorded in North America.
In a press release, the parks service suggested the general public to train warning and keep away from strolling or biking within the space. It additionally suggested individuals in opposition to feeding coyotes or engaging the animals to return near them.
Parks Canada says individuals shouldn’t run away if approached by a coyote. Instead, they need to preserve eye contact with the animal and attempt to seem larger by waving their arms and shouting. The parks service says individuals ought to throw arduous objects, comparable to rocks, on the animal to scare it off.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Sept. 9, 2023.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
