A coyote suspected of attacking three people in the Riverside South suburb of Ottawa was shot and killed by an Ottawa Police Service officer on June 12.
The attacks, which caused minor injuries to a newspaper delivery man, and were fended off by two women on separate occasions happened between the end of May and June 3. During that time, at least one family pet was killed as well.
Authorities are uncertain whether the coyote was acting alone or as part of a pack.
Uncommonly aggressive
While coyotes are commonly seen in the area, they are not normally this aggressive towards people. As a result, the coyote carcass was taken away for rabies testing and George Bayne, 74, the newspaper delivery person who was attacked, was given a series of rabies shots after having his wound treated at The Ottawa Hospital.
The attacks made local and provincial headlines but also created a debate as to who was responsible for dealing with coyote issues in the area. The area’s Councilor Carol Anne Meehan was told by the city’s by-law officer that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) were responsible for dealing with the issue.
This prompted MNRF Minister John Yakabuski to respond in a letter asserting that municipalities are responsible for “deciding on and taking the necessary actions when human-coyote encounters occur within City boundaries.”
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