Islanders reminded to keep an eye on pets during coyote mating season

P.E.I. Public Safety is reminding Islanders to be aware of coyotes and keep an eye on pets at this time of year. 

Coyotes are currently looking for mates and forming territories ahead of the breeding season, which can make them act more defensively, said Matthew Ginn, a wildlife biologist with the province's forests, fish and wildlife division. 

That sort of behaviour can continue into pup-rearing season, he said. 

"You don't want to let your smaller pets outside where you either can't keep an eye on them or if they're prone to chasing things that they see or investigating smells — which a lot of dogs do," Ginn said. 

Coyote populations are widespread in the province and it's possible to spot one "just about anywhere on P.E.I.," said Ginn.

But there are some instances when Islanders should report coyote sightings to the province. 

"If they're hanging around your yard, like coming up on your patio, if they show signs of aggression, we definitely want to hear from the public on those situations," he said. 

Signs of aggression include growling and approaching in a predatory fashion with its head down, Ginn said. 

If a coyote appears aggressive, don't approach it. Make yourself big, hold an object in the air, make loud noises and try to scare it away. 

Although the province hasn't had any reports of aggressive coyotes, it's important to take precautions, Ginn said, including keeping possible food sources out of reach. 

"[You] definitely don't want to be feeding them directly, but you also want to keep everything contained, covered up so that they can't indirectly feed on that," he said. 

"If they do, they're being habituated to that site where they know there's humans there, so they're therefore being habituated to people as well, which just creates further problems." 

P.E.I. has a trapping and fur-harvesting season for coyotes, which runs Oct. 1 to March 31.