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Four coyotes euthanized since cull began, fewer may be in Stanley Park than anticipated

Trappers are about a week into their two-week program
Brendan Kergin
Brendan Kergin
coyoteme2
So far four coytoes have been caught and killed as part of the province's program to cull the wild dogs in Stanley Park.Brendan Kergin

Since the provincially-administrated trapping program started in Stanley Park last week, four coyotes have been caught and euthanized.

Over the weekend none were caught. Only one was seen near a trap site, according to the B.C. Ministry of Forests.

"We are still observing the data, and wildlife staff have increased monitoring efforts to learn more, but it is possible there may be fewer coyotes in the park than anticipated," says the Ministry of Forests in an email to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Is Awesome.

Earlier this month ministry announced it would be culling up to 35 coyotes from the park after a series of bold attacks by the coyotes on children and adults. At the time the B.C. Conservation Officers' Service (BCCOS) said it was unsure how many coyotes were living in the park. Since the attacks started in 2020 around a half-dozen coyotes have been killed by the BCCOS due to the risk to the public.

As the cull is actively seeking out the coyotes instead of responding to animals posing a risk the BCCOS isn't involved and the province has hired professional trappers to work with wildlife officers.

"The goal of all parties moving forward is to manage the coyote population so that lethal means are not required in future," states the province.

The trapping program is expected to end next week; the ministry will look at the data at that point to decide on future steps.

"Once the immediate risk to the public is resolved we will work to support the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Park Board in development of a long-term plan to support safety with wildlife in the park," states the ministry.

That plan will address human behaviour (like feeding the coyotes and taking photos with them) as well as looking at how the coyotes are finding food. They hope to reset the park's environment to allow a coyote population to live in the park without coming into conflict with human visitors.