A litter of coyote pups are drawing a crowd in Arbour Lake, prompting a safety warning from city officials.
Nearly ten coyote pups, and their protective parents, have taken up residence in a stack of boulders in the northwest community, drawing interest from area residents.
City officials are now asking the public to keep a respectable distance from the animals. Fencing has been erected around the den to protect the coyote family and allow them significant space.
Chris Manderson, an urban conservationist with Calgary Parks says the coyotes are there to stay for the foreseeable future. “Moving (them) is not an option. That’s one thing that the province has been pretty clear on, you should not move animals. There’s a bunch of reasons – potential disease transmission is one.”
The City of Calgary is also monitoring known coyote dens in Aspen Woods, Nose Hill and Panorama. "Once they have vacated the den, we'll go in and take a look at whether or not we want to close it off," explained Manderson. "That's one of the things we'll do to avoid conflict, discourage them from denning in certain locations."
Anyone who encounters a coyote in city limits is encouraged to shout, wave their arms, and back away slowly to reduce the risk of conflict.
With files from CTV's Jordan Kanygin
