Urban coyotes play a natural and beneficial role in the city as scavengers who help manage rodent and small mammal populations. 

With a few simple actions, we can keep coyotes wild, enjoy their beauty at a distance and reduce conflicts between people, pets and coyotes.  

Remove All Food Sources on Private Property

Coyotes are naturally afraid of people. But, when they eat food from yards, they become too comfortable around people and may display concerning behaviour. In addition, coyotes can carry a parasite called Echinococcus multilocularis that can be harmful to people. 

You can help deter coyotes and other wildlife from your yard by:

  • Cleaning up spilled garbage, food scraps and birdseed
  • Opting for closed compost bins
  • Securing your garbage in a protected container
  • Cleaning up fallen fruit
  • Keeping pet food inside
  • Ensuring coyotes do not den on your property, such as under a deck or shed
Never Feed Coyotes

Coyotes thrive without human food. But when fed by people, they are prone to disease and parasites, become too comfortable around people and may become aggressive. 

Keep Cats Indoors and Follow Dog On-leash Bylaws

Coyotes can be territorial and could consider your dog a threat. Coyotes may try to draw a dog away and attack it to eliminate the threat. Keeping your dog close on a leash at all times is the best way to ensure its safety.

The City of Edmonton's Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw requires owners to prevent their cats and dogs from roaming free and unsupervised off of their property. By permitting your pets to roam free outside of your property, you provide the opportunity for a potentially serious encounter between your pet and a coyote.

Remember, your pets rely on you for their safety.

Discourage Coyote Denning On Your Property
  • Close up areas under decks, porches or steps. 
  • Clean up large piles of wood, debris or garbage. 
  • Prune thick shrubs, low-hanging spruce boughs and other dense vegetation

When to Call 311

Most callers to 311 we receive about coyotes do not require intervention from the city. These calls usually report sightings of coyotes exhibiting typical, non-alarming behaviour  (e.g., hunting and catching small rodents, following you or your pet at a distance of more than 40 metres, curiously gazing at you or your pet from a distance, etc.).

The presence of coyotes in our city is a sign of a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Coyotes are naturally curious and intelligent animals. It is common to see them travelling in parks, green spaces, roads and sidewalks while watching people and pets at a distance. 

However, coyotes that have been desensitized to humans through food conditioning or coyotes protecting their dens or pups from off-leash dogs may become aggressive. 

When a coyote makes contact with you or your pet or is exhibiting fearless or aggressive behaviour as outlined below, always call 311.

Problematic Coyote Behaviour Checklist

  • A coyote does not move away from you when it is within 40 metres in a residential area during the day
  • Coyote approaches you or your leashed pet within 20 metres (approx the width of a standard residential lot) in any area at any time of day.
  • Coyote follows you or your leashed pet closely from a distance of less than 20 metres.
  • Coyote enters a fenced residential yard by jumping over the fence.
  • Coyote is seen repeatedly during the day in an area where there are children (e.g., playground, schoolyard, urban park).
  • Bites, nips or makes other physical contacts with a pet or person.

It Is Also Important To Call 311 When:

  • A coyote is so injured or sick that it cannot move
  • A coyote is trapped in an area of your yard (private property) 
  • Someone is intentionally feeding coyotes
  • You suspect coyotes have a den with pups in a residential area

What Happens When You Call 311 About a Coyote?

Our approach to wildlife encourages balance and coexistence. When an incident with a coyote is reported, we will investigate and determine if a problem exists. An appropriate course of action will be taken. Depending on the circumstances, this could include monitoring the area for future reports, public education, putting up warning signs or using other coyote behaviour management strategies such as ‘hazing’. Lethal management of coyotes is always done as a last resort.

Sighting With No Obvious Threat to People

Information is logged to support ongoing analysis and identify hotspots of coyote activity.

Sighting or Encounter With Potential Threat to People or Pets

Report is flagged for review by Park Rangers. Follow-up action may occur such as light hazing.

Area will be monitored for similar reports.
 

Contact Occurred Between a Coyote & a Person or a Pet; A Den is Found in a Residential Area

Park Rangers will investigate the location, may conduct hazing of coyote(s) and recommend actions by residents.

Multiple Encounters or a Person is Bitten by a Coyote

Park Rangers will investigate, and lethal removal of coyote may occur.