economist suntribune wildlife thursday dec 16 1999 naturalists say coyotes are shy animab but livestock producers and owners of missing pets say the animal is a serious pes f by mike abler staffwriter v 1 oyotesiri the wild are shy animals the coyote providing shirley brangers propertyih hortfi- markharn this month was hot by the brangers seven cocker spelsput for a run kuled thie youngest a samphtiv s oldpupjnamedcara reluctaritiy after brangers daugh- ter kerri went to the back of the house to investigate the marking the creature was there arid the dogs were swarming it said brangers who raises spaniels as show dogs caras windpipe wascrushed the bites went through her ribs and punctured her lungs said veterinarian leslie brangers another daughter who examined the body 03 i wprry now about my little dogandmy lads she said l shirley brangers at her rural 19th line home nem stoufrviue said me family has lost six catstbcpyotes over the last few years you leave orie out at night and its gone and a neighbour lost two cats and a miniature poodle wwch was found dead in the brangers hayfield bold animals r these animals are becoming a serious pest she concluded dec 1 the day the 0 attack happened- why did this coyote likely the large v i female caught in a trap set on me spot the following week turn from its normal diet of rodents and birds to feed on household -pets- local naturalists say coyotes are riaturally reclusive those in markhams milne dam conservation area disappear at first glirripse of humans arid their dogs said leslie price who belongs to the milne parkconservation association were thepredatpr as far as theyre con cerned but livestock producers and owners of missing pets ihaya different view theyre pretty bbld animals according to jlioriel puree a stouffville fanner who said coyotes have come right up to his house totakesheep this is the hungry season for coyotes a tirrie of year when small animals are harder to find he said taking a dog in daylight is riot usual but the animal bemg very young that would indicate that its tender pickings whether its a rabbit or apuppurcell said 5 the 1 only thing thebrangers can do is pti t a prowling coyote killed a skmorithold puppy caramsetat al9th ie home near- stouffville earlier this month expertewyayipubt ybtecullmgwill work because con trol programs on the animal in the past haye ecjly wild- in urban areas they tend to lose a bit of meirshyness said juuelfebyre wildlife services dlrectprfor thepnbsodetyfpr thepreveritionof cruelty to animals experts i say this leads jbrriore encoun ters between me adaptable coyotes and v domestic animals as newsubdivisions and industrial parks ikick coybtbs out of their homes and rembvenatiiral feeding areas please protect your peisarid dont allow them to wander especmy at night says a coyote warning posted in a markham ani- jrial dfiiic riierribry of colby and oscar two iriissing cats which 1 rriayjhabeeri caught by coyotes r v i 1 up a chain link fence added purceuvhp hasnt had a problem since his own fence went up seven years ago no one knows how many live in the gta but with the rapid development of places such as vaughan and markham coyotes are seen more often glimpsed in ravine back- yards or spotted loping across farm get calls all the time said dan stuckey a wildlife expert withthekbrriit centre inui jli v the arid mterbred with the grey wolf in southern ontario is reclusive and predictable in the they are hereto stdyistofyhas proven wmintemiifi programs on the animal have npv leffectyvhaisoever fg mfebruaryvahbmeo in the huntes point area of richriiond hill said three coy- qtapproachedliis dogs arid one picked up ilhis bichbripnsehe chased them away but ftfe cbybtes came back and sat there howl- c ing i in august some residents near milne parkthbught coyotes had takensixcatsiriia matter of weeks- although price believes fiumans may be responsible citing a rash jpf ipet mutilations mtorpntoiafthetiirie i lxiring the fctyealrtodaria acpuple of dozen such incidents in megtawere reported to the provineesnatural resources ministry riiinisculecbriipajedfo the iriumber of dog attacks and pets run over by 2 cars said john almond a ministry fish and wildlife specialist coyote experts agree coyotes are some- 1 titiies blanied foxattacks by dbgsthat dpgsft can be more destructive to uvestbck arid mat- some wild dogs even reserrible coyotes they also say part of the problerri isu caused by people leavmg pet food outdpofs- or deliberately feeding vwld animals v if there ever is a coyote atmckbn humans in ontario it wiubeariarto its fear through suchfeeding stuckey pre- dieted still doug johrisfbri predator infprrna- tiori officer for ontps liyestpck producers estimated farmers lose between 5000and 6000 sheep a year to predators- twice the losses reported to me goyernment some of its domestic dogs he admit ted v marketing agency waritiribre goyernment pppulatipriisorem it should be reduced y stuclcey doubts coyptetoullmg v work jthey are hereto stayi history has proyeri that intensive cpritrol prpgrarrison the ani- v mal have rib effect whatsoever jewelry boxes grandfather clocks occasional tables wing cjhairs secretary desks rocking chairs seasonal centerpieces 4747hwy7uni6hvffle east of kennedy mas list mbn wed 106 pm ah thursfri l09pm jjf saturdays 105 pm jl u- recliner chairs entertainment centers figurines curios prints lamps computer desks