5 coyotes attack man, dog in south Edmonton

Denning and feeding are believed to be the reasons behind an "incredibly rare" coyote attack in south Edmonton on Tuesday.

Five coyotes attacked a man walking his dog near Thibault Park in Terwillegar around 10 a.m.

The man attempted to scare a coyote "displaying aggressive behaviour" away but was unsuccessful, a city official said.

Then four more coyotes came.

The man sustained several puncture wounds on his back, torso and buttocks area, and he's recovering. His dog is OK, the city said.

Following the attack, two coyotes were killed, a third was injured, and a fourth was chased away from the area, an official said.

'IT IS CONCERNING'

Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, Troy Courtoreille, coordinator for Animal Care and Park Rangers, said pack attacks are "incredibly rare."

There was one coyote attack in 2020 and two attacks in 2019, but the coyote population has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic began, from about 900 to 1,500, Courtoreille said.

He added the city is receiving more complaints about coyote sightings and aggressive coyotes.

"It is denning season. Coyotes are known to be hyper-aggresive to protect their pups. With a presence of a dog in the area, it would potentially trigger a coyote attack if there were pups in the area," Courtoreille said.

"We have reports that a citizen was illegally feeding the coyotes which would prompt them to stay in the area continuously."

Courtoreille said the city is following up on a lead about the person who fed the coyotes.

He asked residents to not feed coyotes and recommended hazing them, such as making noise, blowing a whistle, and if that doesn't work, throwing things in their direction.