Newmarket resident Jorge Almeida regularly takes walks with his dog behind the Dixon Plaza off Bayview Parkway, at the edge of the Mabel Davis Conservation Area.
But he encountered something he had not seen before on a path he said is frequented by residents: a coyote. Although separated by a fence, he said the coyote ran right at his dog, Sheba, and just missed getting out through a nearby opening.
He attempted to make noise to scare off the coyote. He and his pet fled, the coyote chasing them from the other side, he said. Were it not for the fence, Almeida said the coyote likely would have attacked his dog.
“I have never seen one that big before,” he said. “I was really scared. I was yelling all the way out of the path.”
Coyotes have been a more regular sight around Newmarket in recent times, with the town tracking and warning residents about their activity. There have been more than 20 sightings in the past three months, according to the municipal coyote tracker, excluding the one Almedia encountered.
The aggressive behaviour of the coyote was concerning for him and his family. He questioned whether the coyote should be hunted down considering the aggressive behavior, suspecting a possible litter of pups or hunger.
“This one is going to get somebody’s dog,” he said. “It’s a good size, and when it gets hungry and desperate, eventually, it will go after somebody.”
But town policy tends toward letting them be. The municipal website encourages residents to take precautions and notes that coyotes are difficult to trap, requiring leg-hold traps that could be hazardous to pets and humans.
“Coyotes have adjusted well to living in close proximity to humans,” the municipality said on its website. “Precautions can help residents co-exist with these animals as the Town of Newmarket's approach to living with coyotes is to leave them alone.”
The town said many areas, including where this incident occurred, have signage warning residents of increased coyote populations. It said coyotes are typically more active at night, and residents should stick to well-trod areas as coyotes tend to avoid humans. It also said sightings and such encounters should be reported to the town.
Multiple reports of territorial behaviour could warrant action, the municipality said.
"If the town were to receive multiple reports of a coyote demonstrating territorial behaviour, in the same location, within the same season, it would be safe to assume that there is a den nearby at that time and the town would explore the most humane options under the advice of the Ministry of Natural Resources."
Almeida’s wife posted about the encounter on Facebook. Locals expressed sympathy but said the coyote should be left to be.
“Problem is they are just defending themselves. We took their homes, and unfortunately, they have nowhere to go, now they feel threatened,” one resident said. “Glad everybody is OK, but I think the only thing that can be done is to put up signs."
“Glad your hubby and dog are safe,” another resident said. “However WE destroyed their habitat for our own personal greed! It’s a sad situation for all wildlife.”
The town recommends keeping food attractants off the ground, avoiding letting pets run at large, and avoiding feeding coyotes, among other recommendations. If a coyote is encountered, the town said to stay calm and wait for it to move on, or if threatened, use whistles and personal alarm devices to deter. The town said you should back away slowly, remain calm, and never run or turn your back on a coyote, instead walking backward.
Almeida said the incident is not haunting him. However, he added he would be a little more cautious and nervous in the area.
Still, he said there are others who use the area, and he had to warn a father and his children who were going in just as he ran out.
“Stay clear of it, for sure.”
You can report a coyote sighting through the municipal website.
