Coyote pup season starts and Mississauga warns residents to take precautions

Coyote pup season has started and the City of Mississauga reminds residents of the possibility of aggressive encounters.

“Coyotes can get aggressive & defensive if they feel their pups are in danger,” the City of Mississauga said in a Facebook post on March 6.

This comes as a Brampton school announced it was keeping students indoors as an added precaution this week due to a coyote sighting.

Coyote mating season is normally around February and March and gestation, or pregnancy, lasts from 60 to 63 days, according to Hinterland Who’s Who. Fun fact: coyotes appear to be monogamous, and couples may remain together for several years.

During mating season and while coyotes are caring for their pups, people may see more aggressive behaviour.

The City of Mississauga advises residents to leash pets, and always supervise pets when outdoors.

Coyotes are attracted to cities and towns for food and shelter. They aren’t a big risk to people but the City of Mississauga suggests as wild animals, they should be avoided.

People should never feed wild animals as they will become habituated to human interactions and that is when dangerous encounters can occur.

Humans are actually more dangerous for coyotes. In some areas, 90 per cent of the deaths of coyotes older than five months are caused by people, whether purposefully with guns, poison, and traps, or accidentally with vehicles and farm machinery, Hinterland notes.

The city offers these tips if you encounter a coyote:

• Stay calm and wait until it goes away.
• Do not turn your back or run. Like dogs, coyotes chase anything that runs.
• If a coyote approaches, stand tall, wave your arms, clap, yell, make startling movements or throw an object at it to scare it away.
• Startle the animal by opening an umbrella, using a flashlight or activating an audible alarm.

For more information on coyotes or to report a sighting, see the City of Mississauga coyote information page.