After losing a feline family member, some Wallaceburg residents want to make the community aware that a coyote has been spotted in and around Glen Mickle Park.
Julie Forgie told the Sydenham Current her daughter’s boyfriend lives on Earl Street in Wallaceburg, near the skate park, exercise equipment and walking path in Glen Mickle Park, near Wallaceburg Retirement Residence and a bean field on the other side.
“He had a cat, it was an inside/outside cat, more inside but it did go outside,” Forgie said.
“It was chipped and had a collar and everything. They couldn’t find it the one night. It didn’t go back in. So they had put a post out and asked anybody if they had seen it. Nobody had seen it, but the next day the lady who walks her dog there, went through the park and it was just right at the street, just outside the park. We found the collar and it had been ripped a part. That was sad. So she posted it on Rant and Rave that they had found the cat… so that was sad.”
Forgie said the next night her daughter was worked up about the incident.
“It was like 2:30 a.m. she said ‘I want to go over’ because there was another stray cat hanging out over there,” Forgie said.
“She wanted to go over and put it in the shed. So at 2:30 in the morning we were over at the park and I turned around and that coyote was there again.”
Although the footage is dark, Forgie captured a video of the animal, which can be seen below:
Raw video of a coyote in Glen Mickle Park in #Wallaceburg @MunicCK @ONresources pic.twitter.com/oFjV0uVjvY
— Sydenham Current (@SydenhamCurrent) July 16, 2021
“I’m concerned for little kids and people who have little tiny dogs because obviously the coyote likes the taste of cats,” she said.
“Mind you, they shouldn’t be outside, but they are still people’s pets. My brother just told me yesterday that a little girl out West was attacked by a coyote, a baby, and a couple weeks ago there was a six-year-old that got attacked by a coyote.”
Forgie added: “They are at (Glen Mickle) park and I did see it. It was a big coyote… it was a big one. I just don’t want people to accidently let their cat out or their puppy out at night time.”
Forgie said when her daughter and her boyfriend’s cat didn’t come home, they put the cat box outside. The next day they saw the coyote tracks in their backyard.
“So that coyote was back the next day looking for more cats or dogs or whatever. It is a wild animal and the field behind it is open, but it is a public park and it was on Earl Street.”
Forgie said her family owns a warehouse on Wallace Street, near the boat ramp.
“The guy that works over there, he saw the coyote there in the middle of the day,” she said.
“I went to the police and they didn’t really say anything, they said they were going to get a hold of someone, but they didn’t put a notice up or anything.”
Municipality of Chatham-Kent and MNRF advice
Municipality of Chatham-Kent officials say many people have concerns about “wild carnivores” living in their neighbourhood.
“It important that we respect and understand their needs,” Municipal officials say on their website.
“Residents who would like wildlife removed from their properties must do so at their own expense. Contact a pest control provider or a licensed trapper. Contact the MNRF at 1-800-667-1940 for an updated list of licensed trappers in Chatham-Kent. In the event of immediate danger to humans by wildlife, contact Police Services.”
Municipal officials say the Natural Resources Information and Support Centre (NRISC) is Ontario’s source for general information about the MNRF.
“The NRISC responds to calls and emails from the public about hunting and fishing regulations, nuisance wildlife, land use, parks and protected areas and a wide variety of other subjects and can be reached at 1-800-667-1940,” Municipal officials say.
MNRF officials say they do not provide direct wildlife control, including coyote control.
“Municipalities are responsible for taking appropriate actions when human-wildlife encounters create ongoing conflict situations on municipal property,” MNRF officials say on their website.
“Municipalities can also take action on private property with the permission of the landowner.”
The MNRF have provided the following fact sheets about coyotes as well:
