Burlington reports 7th coyote attack in the city this year

Another person has been attacked by a coyote in Burlington, making it the seventh confirmed incident this year.

The City of Burlington said in a news release Sunday that a female was resting in her backyard on Lakeshore Rd. east of the Roseland area around 12 p.m. when a coyote bit her knee. She was then taken to the hospital for treatment.

The coyote is believed to be the same one involved in the sixth attack on an elderly resident at a local retirement home on Sept. 10.

Another victim was a two-and-a-half-year-old boy, who was on his backyard deck when a coyote grabbed him by the neck in an attempt to drag him away.

City of Burlington Animal Services staff have been working with Halton police and the Certified Wildlife Control Professional in the areas of attack to track down and eliminate the coyotes.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is attributing a rise in the number of coyote attacks in Burlington to human behaviour.

“When people feed coyotes, intentionally or unintentionally, coyotes become familiar with humans, are no longer afraid of humans and show more and more aggressive behaviour, as is being seen in south central Burlington,” the city said in a statement last week.

“This creates an environment where wildlife is conditioned to be comfortable with direct human interaction and may come to depend on humans for food.”