The garrison and food are believed to be the cause of an “incredibly rare” coyote attack south of Edmonton on Tuesday.
Five coyotes attacked a man walking his dog near Thibault Park in Terwillegar around 10am
The man tried to scare a coyote who “showed aggressive behavior,” but was unsuccessful, a city official said.
Then came four more coyotes.
The man suffered several stab wounds to his back, torso and buttocks, and is recovering. Your dog is fine, the city said.
After the attack, two coyotes were killed, a third was injured and a fourth was expelled from the area, an official said.
“IT’S CONCERNING”
Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, Troy Courtoreille, coordinator of Animal Care and Park Rangers, said herd attacks were “incredibly rare.”
There was one coyote attack in 2020 and two attacks in 2019, but the coyote population has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic began, from about 900 to 1,500, Courtoreille said.
He added that the city is receiving more complaints about sightings of coyotes and aggressive coyotes.
“It’s night time. Coyotes are known to be hyperaggressive to protect their puppies. With the presence of a dog in the area, it could cause a coyote attack if there were puppies in the area,” he said. Courtoreille.
“We have reports that a citizen was illegally feeding coyotes, which would lead them to remain in the area continuously.”
Courtoreille said the city is following a clue about the person who fed the coyotes.
He asked residents not to feed the coyotes and advised them to do some hacking, such as making noise, whistling and, if that doesn’t work, throwing things in their direction.