Coyote concerns: Calgarian attacked as neighbours complain of an animal problem
A Calgary woman spent Friday night in hospital after an encounter with an urban coyote -- and she's not the first to complain of an animal issue in the northwest.
Nicole Au was attacked by a coyote while playing with her two daughters in their Nolan Hill driveway.
It was all captured on the family's security camera.
"I felt something grab my leg and I didn't know what it was," Au told CTV News. "It just started jerking and tugging really hard. Like it was trying to pull me off my child."
The incident only lasted a couple of seconds, but it left Au with a cut-up thigh and ripped leggings.
She had to spend Friday night receiving medical treatment and tetanus and rabies immunizations.
She says it's left her shaken: mainly because her incident isn't an isolated one.
"We always see them," Au said. "Coyotes on this street. Sightings in the road. Sightings on the ravine. In my backyard."
Another woman in the area was attacked while out gardening last week.
A man living nearby had a stare-down on Saturday.
Residents of the neighbourhood say everyone in Nolan Hill has a story.
"They wander around in the broad daylight, in the early evening, late evening, middle of the night," resident Rick Gold said. "It's getting quite unsafe just to let the kids out to play."
The community is located on the city's outskirts.
The coyotes are likely wandering in to the area from nearby rural habitats and a commonly-used ravine.
Residents say they understand the issue.
But as the coyotes demonstrate more casual behaviour around humans, Gold says change is needed.
He claims dozens of his neighbours have already approached the city.
"They keep saying they're sending people out to deal with it, and we haven't seen anyone," Gold said. "Yet we still see the animals coming out too close."
A city spokesperson tells CTV News that the situation is being monitored.
"The City takes measures to keep citizens safe and will act if we encounter an aggressive coyote," Vanessa Farrelly wrote. "One method we use is hazing, which is a series of steps using noise and projectiles to reintroduce a coyote’s natural fear of humans."
The city also sent a list of tips for anyone who may encounter a coyote.
An expert says to maintain eye contact, make a lot of noise and to back away slowly. They also remind residents to keep their pets on-leash outside of marked zones.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.