Coyote encounter unnerves woman
An evening walk along the trails of Westminster Ponds in southeast London, Ont. turned into a frantic scene for Denise Singh and her two dogs.
“I’m obviously kind of traumatized by the situation. I’m not going to lie. It was very scary for me,” said Singh.
The walk along the path started as routine for Singh, until she noticed they were not alone.
“My dog had kind of ran into the woods and I was just kind of keeping an eye on her, happened to turn around behind me and noticed another ‘dog’ that was going into the woods after her. I kind of waited a couple of seconds, then I didn’t see any other human behind it, and that’s when I knew it was a coyote,” she said.
Singh admitted she panicked at that point and directed her dogs to run. The coyote followed.
Despite her yelling, the coyote stayed within 6 metres until Singh and her dogs reached the parking lot, and continued to watch while Singh crossed Pond Mills Road.
Brian Salt from Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre said coyotes are curious by nature.
“They’re quite playful animals as well. There’s very little danger with a single coyote. If there was a group of them, that could be a little more concerning,” said Salt.
According to Salt, one of the most common mistakes people make when encountering a coyote is running from it.
“That’s probably one of the worst things you can do, is to turn tail and run, because that evokes a response from the animal that they want to play. And so they’re going to follow you right? And that creates all kinds of problems,” he said.
For Singh, who had never encountered a coyote before, it was a moment that she went with her instincts
“Personally, I don’t know how you stay calm in that kind of a situation. I think had it not been jogging along behind me, I might not have been as frantic as I was, but I was screaming and I was running, it didn’t seem the least bit fearful of my reaction,” said Sing. “So, I don’t know if I would have done anything differently.”
Signs are posted near the entrance to Westminster Ponds indicating coyotes have been sighted in the area, and lists things you should and should not do when encountering one.
Salt also gives similar advice on how to scare off the creatures, “Put your arms in the air, wave them, yell at them, stomp your feet. That’s usually enough to let them know they’re not welcome.”
Salt also said if you are concerned about coyotes coming into your neighbourhood, it is important to not leave any food that might attract them into your yard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.