A sign warning trail users about coyotes in the area is seen in South Ridge - Photo by Scott Roblin

By Charles Lefebvre

City steps up coyote monitoring

Feb 13, 2020 | 5:22 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The City of Medicine Hat is stepping up its monitoring of coyotes in Medicine Hat, after getting more reports of sightings in recent months.

KP Pest Control have been contracted by the city to perform monitoring this month and examine locations where coyote activity has been reported.

“This is kind of our first step into a bit of a bigger project in regards to being able to track and monitor coyote activity within the City of Medicine Hat to better formulate action plans,” said Dave Genio, superintendent of parks and recreation.

Genio says the contractors will look to determine the exact coyote population in the city, and where their dens may be located.

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They will be focusing on South Ridge in the coming weeks, but Genio says they can expand to other neighbourhoods depending on what they find.

“South Ridge, we we’re getting a lot more information and a lot more calls in regards to increased coyote activity and increased sightings within this area, same with Crescent Heights,” he said. “We thought we’d start in the South Ridge area, looking into this, and hopefully moving into other areas as required.”

Genio notes February is mating season for coyotes, and say they could be more aggressive if spotted by the public.

He reminds residents if they do come across a coyote, they should make themselves appear as large as possible, make loud noises and, if they have a dog, keep it by their side.