After ongoing attacks on the public in Stanley Park, the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development have decided to move ahead with a cull.
Over the next two weeks, officials will be trapping and killing up to 35 coyotes.
The Vancouver Park Board is working in coordination with the provincial government on this new measure.
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According to a statement from the Ministry of Forests, actions taken thus far have not been enough to quell the severity and frequency of coyote attacks on the public.
Relocation was considered, as was non-lethal removal, but the ministry suggests these options were not possible for two reasons, including the fact that the population has now been highly food trained. The ministry also suggests that the conditioning is present throughout the population of coyotes in the park.
The total number of coyotes that will be killed may fluctuate depending on the numbers of animals in the park, how successful trapping is, and how much officials can reduce aggressive interactions.
In a comment to Daily Hive, Lesley Fox, Executive Director of the Fur-Bearers said, “this is a sad time for Vancouver. A black eye for the ‘greenest city’ in Canada.”
According to the ministry, the primary goal will be to diminish the coyote population to ensure levels don’t return to the number they’re seeing now.
Traps will be active in the park from 7 pm to 9 am, in line with the new hours that the park will be accessible to the public.
Fencing has been installed to help enforce these measures.
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