Father concerned after coyotes spotted attacking prey in backyard

A concerned London, Ont. father is renewing warnings for people to be on the lookout for coyotes.

Jason Harding feels coyotes in his neighbourhood are becoming bolder after a pair of coyotes were spotted during the midday in his backyard.

"My first thoughts are were, ‘That's in between my house and my kid’s play area. Is it going to be a dangerous thing for children to be in their own backyard?’"

Jason Harding's neighbour captured video around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. A pair of coyotes captured and were eating, what appeared to be, a groundhog in the family's yard.

The Harding family lives on a court at the end of Frederick Crescent.

The property backs onto a green space that leads to the river.

It’s also where his daughter, Brinley, and her friends use the play equipment, including a climber and swings.

Harding said coyotes are frequently spotted on surveillance cameras roaming area streets at night.

Harding called the City of London wildlife office, but was told they wouldn’t be coming out.

"They responded that they don't interfere or they don't investigate coyote sightings. I just felt this was a little different than a sighting,” he said.

While there are occasional reports of coyotes being aggressive or biting people in other cities, experts said those incidents are rare. They said simply standing your ground and making loud noises will often scare them away.