City of Burlington offering coyote whistles to residents

Burlington, Ont.—Aug. 30, 2022— In light of recent coyote attacks in south central and south east Burlington, the City of Burlington is giving out coyote whistles to help residents ‘haze’ coyotes they may encounter. The whistles are available, first come, first serve at:

• Service Burlington, Sims Square, 390 Brant St., third floor
• Nelson Recreation Centre, 4235 New St.
• Burlington Public Library Branches
  • Aldershot Branch, 550 Plains Rd. E.
  • Alton Branch, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.
  • Brant Hills Branch, 2255 Brant St.
  • Central Branch, 2331 New St.
  • Kilbride Branch, 6611 Panton St.
  • New Appleby Branch, 676 Appleby Line
  • Tansley Woods Branch, 1996 Itabashi Way

Consistent hazing will scare off coyotes by re-instilling their fear of humans. Any time you see a coyote in a residential area, use hazing techniques to scare it away, such as:

• Spraying the coyote with water from a garden hose or a water gun filled with vinegar
• Throwing small rocks, large sticks, cans or rubber balls near the coyote
• Using whistles, air horns or banging pots
• Waving your arms and making yourself look as big as possible
• Yelling loudly

The City has also placed additional signs in high risk areas in south central Burlington warning residents of increased and aggressive coyote activity. Residents are asked to continue to be vigilant in these areas and report coyote sightings using the form at burlington.ca/coyotes.

Anyone attacked by a coyote is advised to seek immediate medical attention and report the attack to the Halton Region Health Department and to the City of Burlington Animal Services at animalservices@burlington.ca or 905-335-3030.

These attacks are uncharacteristic of coyotes and this cluster of attacks on humans are the first reported in Burlington.

The City of Burlington, with the expertise of a Certified Wildlife Control Professional, is continuing to deal with coyotes. A den was located on a private lot. City staff contacted the owners to remove vegetation and fallen trees. The den has been cleared as part of bringing the property into property maintenance bylaw compliance.

Municipalities are responsible for taking appropriate actions to manage resident coyote sightings, encounters and attacks and take appropriate action. If a coyote attacks a person, the City has a Council approved Coyote Response Strategy in place that is currently being followed to prioritize and deal with this situation.

City of Burlington staff will present a report to council on coyote management recommendations at the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Burlington is a city where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at burlington.ca/subscribe and follow @CityBurlington on social media.

Quick Facts

• In 2015, Burlington City Council approved a Coyote Response Strategy that provides guidelines on preventing and managing conflicts with coyotes.
• These are the first reported coyote attacks on humans in Burlington.
• Coyotes are native to North America and can be found living in urban and rural areas.
• Food sources like mice, rats, and garbage are readily available in urban areas, attracting coyotes to residential neighbourhoods.
• Concerns about direct or indirect feeding of wildlife can be reported to Animal Control at animalshelter.mailbox@burlington.ca
• Hand feeding and ground feeding wildlife on private or public property is prohibited by the City’s Lot Maintenance Bylaw (49-2022) and is subject to a fine.
• To request an audit of your yard for coyote attractants by city Animal Control staff, please email animalshelter.mailbox@burlington.ca.

Links and Resources

• Learn more about living with coyotes at www.burlington.ca/coyote
• Read the Council approved Coyote Response Strategy that includes an escalation process to deal with various levels of coyote interactions with residents and pets. 
• Report a coyote sighting online at burlington.ca/servicerequest
• Watch a video about how to wildlife proof your property

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Media contact:
Carla Marshall
Communications Advisor
carla.marshall@burlington.ca