Concerns about Coyotes in your Neighbourhood?

Coyote numbers continue to increase in urban areas such as Kitchener-Waterloo as food and water are readily available. Coyotes view domestic animals as prey.

With their mating season in full swing, they become more territorial. Avoid any coyote and pet interactions by keeping your cats indoors and your dogs on a leash when you are walking them. Don't leave your dog unattended in your yard.

Coyotes often travel through hydro corridors, ravines, walking paths, conservation and natural areas. They are most active during dawn, dusk, and throughout the night.

They can be threatening or alarming with their barks, woofs, huffs, and haunting howls.

Coyote predator-control measures frequently have the opposite effect – increasing rather than decreasing their population. Coyotes are wildly adaptable. They can extend their breeding season in response to a predator-control purge, boosting the size of their litter from roughly six to nineteen pups! 

Omnivorous and highly adaptable, they eat everything including apples, beetles, berries, chipmunks, deer, domestic cats and dogs, fish, garbage, grass, groundhogs, livestock, mice, possums, rats, snakes, and voles. Rodents comprise 75% of their diet.

They are highly prone to diseases such as mange.

Research indicates that urban coyotes have a 60% chance of surviving for another year, compared to only a 30% chance for their rural counterparts.

Their acclimation is so advanced that coyotes even comprehend the flow of traffic when crossing the street! Now, that’s wily!

When pursuing prey, adult coyotes can reach speeds up to 70 kmh. So, running away from a coyote is futile. If you encounter a coyote, do not turn your back on it. Stand still, wave your arms wildly, and slowly back away while remaining calm.

If you have concerns about coyotes in your neighbourhood, contact the City of Kitchener at 519-741-2345. If you see a coyote in trouble, contact Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge at 519-587-2980; or Wildlife Haven at 519-590-3676.

Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Blog Post: February 1, 2025

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