Another person bitten by coyote in Burlington; 7th unprovoked attack reported

Another person in Burlington has been bitten by a coyote, bringing the attacks involving the canines in that city to seven.

City officials reported the latest attack in a Sunday news release, saying it happened at a home on Lakeshore Road near Tuck Creek around noon on Saturday.

They said an individual was resting in her backyard when a coyote bit her in the knee. She was later taken to the hospital for treatment.

The city said the smaller sandy coloured coyote involved in the "unprovoked" attack is believed to be the same canine responsible for the sixth incident. That attack occurred on Sept. 10 at a retirement home, where an elderly resident was hurt.

The resident was sitting out on their front patio, relaxing, when she was awoken by a coyote biting her hip. She was taken to the hospital to be treated.

It prompted the city to activate its Crisis Management Team to deal with the incidents, which were first reported last month. One of the victims was a two-year-old boy who was on a backyard deck when a coyote grabbed him by the neck and attempted to drag him away.

The city said the cluster of incidents is the first recorded attacks on humans in Burlington, calling them "uncharacteristic." In light of the attacks last month, the city even offered residents coyote whistles to help them 'haze' the canines they may encounter, hoping to re-instill the animal's fear of humans.

The city said there is an ongoing effort to hunt and put down the coyotes.

"City of Burlington Animal Services staff have been conducting ongoing joint operations with the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) and the Certified Wildlife Control Professional in the areas of attack to track down and eliminate the coyotes. Residents may see this multi agency taskforce in their neighbourhood and it is critical that residents do not interfere with these operations," the city said in the news release.

"The increasing challenge is that coyotes are no longer denning at this time of year and are more mobile."

While the coyote responsible for the first three attacks have been "eliminated," officials said the ones involved in the recent incidents are believed to have come from "a family of aggressive coyotes in south central Burlington."

The city has been monitoring areas in south central Burlington where several neglected properties are located and could be an ideal place for the aggressive coyotes to den.

Experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry who met with Burlington officials this week to discuss the situation are convinced that the attacks stem from coyotes being "conditioned to see humans as providing a food source," the city said.

"This learned behaviour creates an environment where wildlife is conditioned to be comfortable with direct human interaction and may come to depend on humans for food," the city added, reiterating to residents not to give food to wildlife.

"Once a coyote crosses the boundary of acceptable interaction with humans, the coyote must be eliminated for public safety reasons, due to a situation they did not initiate."

The city asks anyone attacked by a coyote to immediately seek medical attention and report the incident to Halton Region Health Department and the city's animal services at 905-335-3030 or [e-mail].