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Toronto's Coyote Crisis: Expert Urges Euthanasia
24 Jul
Summary
- Biologist advocates euthanizing persistent nuisance coyotes.
- Toronto's current strategy relies on public education and hazing.
- Nine coyote-human bites and hundreds of dog attacks occurred since 2020.
Biologist Dennis Murray of Trent University suggests Toronto needs to revise its coyote control strategy by euthanizing coyotes that pose a persistent nuisance. He argues the city's current approach, which emphasizes public education and aversion methods like hazing, waits too long to address problematic animals. Murray's peer-reviewed paper, published recently, critiques the reliance on coexistence and calls for safety to be the priority.
Toronto's strategy, approved last year, outlines a tiered response to coyote encounters, ranging from simple sightings to attacks on humans. Remedies include hazing, public education, and in severe cases, euthanasia or relocation. However, the city maintains that coexistence and hazing are effective long-term prevention methods. Animal Justice questions lethal responses, suggesting relocation, though the city cites provincial rules and practical challenges against this option.
