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Learn about Coyotes

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Coyotes have been in Ontario for over a century, having migrated here long ago. The City of Brampton receives reports of approximately 1,300 coyote sightings each year.

As urban sprawl has increased and humans have impeded on natural habitats, coyotes have adapted very well to life in major North American cities, including Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. In cities, they live in urban forests, woodlands, ravines, meadows and parklands, which make up our Natural Heritage System.

Coyotes sometimes live alone but often live in family groups, usually consisting of the mother, father, last year's offspring, and this year's pups.

A coyote family occupies a home range area where they reside and seek food. This area might overlap with the home range area of another coyote family.

Understanding and respecting coyote behaviour allows humans and coyotes to coexist. Part of coexisting with coyotes is establishing and maintaining clear boundaries between humans and animals. This means:

  • ​preventing coyotes from accessing human sources of food
  • ​​reminding coyotes that humans are not their friends

Coyotes found in Brampton are Eastern Coyotes, averaging a weight of approximately 31-40 lbs. They are often active at dawn and dusk to minimize their interaction with people, but it is normal to see them during the day.

Coyotes are integral members of our diverse ecosystem and contribute to a necessary and healthy prey-predator balance. Coyotes are a natural form of rodent control. Their primary diet consists of mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels and groundhogs. They also eat birds, eggs, snakes, turtles, fish, fruit and plants. Coyotes will also take advantage of the opportunity to scavenge, including eating food from garbage. Human-coyote conflicts may arise when we intentionally feed them or inadvertently create opportunities for free food around our City by placing food items in our garbage or recycling bins or letting our garbage containers overflow.

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Coyote Vocalizations

Many people experience panic when they hear coyote howls and yips, but it's important to recognize that coyotes are always around us. Whether you hear them or not, they exist in our neighbourhoods, parks and green spaces. When you hear them howl, it isn't because they've just arrived or are searching for food; they've been there all along. Coyotes don't howl or yip when they're hunting; they do so to communicate with each other. A coyote may vocalize to bond with family, meet up with a friend or relative, or warn other coyotes that their area is taken. Coyotes live in family groups of two to five individuals but use auditory illusions to make themselves sound like a large, intimidating pack. Just one mated pair may sound like a dozen or more animals.

Coyote Seasonal Milestones

Coyotes are naturally timid animals, and most sightings we receive reflect this. Typically, they like to avoid people and confrontation, which has made them suitable for urban environments. Coyotes breed once a year, going through all the stages of raising a family and, if successful, rearing a litter of pups. The whole family is involved in raising new young. Because it's a vulnerable period for the mom and pups, they tend to go from aloof and avoidant to protective, wary, and assertive. People, and especially dogs that may present a threat to them, will be on the receiving end of these behaviours.

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​This is coyote mating season; coyotes can breed within their first year and typically mate for life with the same partner. This period may result in higher sighting reports and hearing vocalizations as adult coyotes secure their home range area by frequently moving throughout their habitat. Vocalizing is a method of communication; a pair of coyotes can sound like many coyotes, a phenomenon called the "beau geste" effect.

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This is a time of higher coyote activity as pups are reared in and around their dens. To safeguard their areas, coyotes will be more visible and act assertively to ward off other coyotes and potential dangers. They will be wary of dogs, which are similar to non-familial coyotes and are considered threats. Behaviours you may observe are:

  • Coyotes may be seen more in the daytime and will watch their surroundings intently.
  • They may try to "escort" or herd people and dogs out of their territory by following them until they leave.
  • Coyotes that normally scamper off when chased by a dog will more likely stand their ground and act defensively.
  • The mother will have dug a den, and the rest of the family will help to bring her food and keep the area secure.
  • On average, four to seven pups are born blind and helpless and are in the den for about four to five weeks.
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​Coyote families will move on from using their dens once the pups are mobile, around June or July, and aren't as committed to a certain area. In summer, coyote families with new pups will be busy teaching the youngest members everything there is to know about being a coyote – how to hunt, which paths to travel, and how to thrive in a unique urban wilderness. Urban coyotes have a 60% chance of survival during their first year of life, with car collisions accounting for the highest cause of death. Coyote activity increases during the summer months, coinciding with our own outdoor activity. Therefore, the highest chances for human and coyote interactions generally occur from June through August before tapering off in September.

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​After coyote pups become mobile and learn essential survival skills from their parents, they will disperse into their own areas. There may be an increase in coyote sightings during this time as juveniles seek out their own areas and start looking for mates for the next breeding season. As juveniles begin to explore, it may be more common to see larger groups of coyotes rather than just solitary or mated pairs of coyotes.

Staying Safe around Coyotes

  • Never intentionally leave food on the ground or offer food to a coyote or other animal. When people hand-feed coyotes, they lose their fear of humans and may even come to us for food. Feeding coyotes directly (purposely offering them food) or indirectly (by leaving food on the ground, not disposing of garbage properly, or feeding their prey like birds, squirrels and rodents) will encourage them to return to a specific area and put people at higher risk of encounters.
  • Keep your pets on a leash except in designated off-leash areas. As natural predators, coyotes may mistake smaller dogs and cats for prey. This is normal behaviour, and it is our role to take responsible actions to prevent coyote encounters.
  • Dispose of waste properly. Food attractants are one of the known causes of coyotes becoming habituated to humans, and they significantly increase the chance of conflict. Coyotes are intelligent and will return to areas where they can easily scavenge for food. Discarded garbage also attracts coyotes' prey, like birds, squirrels, and rodents. Do your part to maintain animals' natural diet and keep coyotes at bay by disposing of your waste in secured containers and putting them out for collection on the morning of garbage day.
  • When coyotes lose their fear of humans, both your safety and theirs are at risk. Coyotes respond best when you clearly communicate that their presence is not tolerated, even if you love seeing them. If a coyote approaches you, act aggressively by making yourself big and yelling. Consider carrying a can with coins to shake to make a startling noise. Most importantly, do not turn your back or run. Coyotes, like foxes and dogs, have a natural instinct to chase.

Coyote Aversion Conditioning (Humane Hazing)

Aversion conditioning (or humane hazing) is a method of negative association that safely compels wildlife, such as coyotes or foxes, to move away from humans, sometimes through the use of deterrents. Even if you love seeing coyotes, don't let them know it. Use the techniques below when you see one in a residential area. Everyone's safety, including the coyotes, depends on wildlife not becoming used to being around people.

  • Aversion conditioning is not a new technique. It has been used with great success around the world with many species.
  • Aversion conditioning can restore a coyote's natural avoidance of humans and minimize interactions.
  • In areas with regular coyote sightings, patience is required. Intensive and consistent aversion conditioning may be necessary to encourage the coyote to move on entirely.
  • It is important to remember that each coyote has a different level of "food education". Some coyotes have been taught that people (and their properties) will provide food (e.g., direct feeding, compost bins, bird feeders, or cat and dog food left outside).
  • Using aversion conditioning techniques on a coyote can effectively change its behaviour and help ensure that future coyotes do not develop these behaviours.

Basic Aversion Conditioning (Humane Hazing) Techniques

  • Stand tall, make yourself big, wave your arms and shout (don't scream) while approaching the coyote until they run away.
  • Use a noisemaker, such as:
    • your voice
    • an air horn
    • pots and pans banged together
    • a whistle
    • a shake can (such as a pop can filled with coins or pebbles)
    • jingling keys, or
    • an umbrella popping open and closed
  • Use a projectile (toward, not at, the coyote), such as:
    • sticks
    • clumps of dirt
    • small rocks, or
    • a tennis ball

Note: if a coyote has never been hazed before, he or she may not run away immediately just by you vocalizing. You may need to approach the coyote while incorporating some of the above-mentioned deterrents. If the coyote runs a short distance, stops, and turns to look at you, continue to haze the coyote until he or she has completely left the area.​
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Coyote FAQs

  • It all boils down to keeping healthy boundaries with the wildlife around us.
  • We continue to follow the same intuitive principles in living around coyotes: Hazing or scaring coyotes if they linger in human spaces (except in mating season, unless they get too close), not leaving out food or attractants, not feeding them, and keeping our pets safe.
  • Report all your coyote sightings using the online reporting form and call 311 if a coyote is injured or displaying assertive behaviour.
  • Share this information with friends and family!
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  • During other times of the year, we encourage people to humanely haze the coyotes they see unless they're doing natural things in their natural environment, like hunting for mice in a field. However, during the mating season, to avoid stressing the coyote families and preventing conflicts, we can take our cues from their behaviour rather than hazing them. Avoid coyotes as much as possible and assert ourselves if they get too close.
  • Small dog owners should always supervise their dogs outside, even in their own backyard, especially when they are walking or live near a ravine or naturalized area. Cat owners should keep their cats indoors. Coyotes will be working extra hard to feed their families and are opportunistic. Small dogs or cats aren't their preferred prey, but coyotes won't be picky if an opportunity presents itself.
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  • People and big dogs are large enough to cause harm to coyotes.
  • Coyotes raise their pups in a den, usually tucked away someplace hidden and safe—under a thicket or an abandoned structure.
  • The mother and pups are bound to this den for weeks between March and May, so the father and older offspring must help keep them safe until they can move about.
  • If anything gets too close, they will confront the danger and try to escort it away.
  • If the danger persists in staying or coming close, this becomes a stressful red flag for the family
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  • Mating behaviour stems from their defensive and protective instinct when raising a family. Coyotes avoid outright attacks because it puts them in danger.
  • Truly aggressive behaviour is rare and is the extreme end of what we call habituation—when a coyote gradually loses its avoidance of people, most often because it has been hand-fed or indirectly fed in human spaces.
  • ​When the boundary is blurred between people and coyotes, their natural aversion is lost, and the likelihood of aggression increases significantly.

  • In the mating and pup-rearing seasons, their focus becomes securing their area and safeguarding their family.
  • They will be seen out in the daytime more, mostly to observe and patrol against threats.
  • They're mostly concerned about keeping other coyotes away, but dogs are similar to coyotes and will be treated as competition or a threat.
  • This doesn't mean they turn aggressive—they're smart enough to know it's unsafe to pick fights with everything!
  • Instead, they act assertively. They declare their boundaries by standing their ground and trying to "escort" the danger out of the area.
  • Escorting involves following the "threat" (often a dog) until it leaves the area – until it is no longer a threat. This is meant to push you out, but many people interpret it as predatory stalking.
  • Truly predatory coyotes will want to be unseen or are quick, but with escorting, they definitely want you to see them in order to make a point and be effective.
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Our approach to coyotes in the community is to leave them alone so that they remain wild animals. Relocating coyotes is not recommended. It is difficult to accomplish and only a band-aid solution. Removing one coyote does not address the inherent community issues. It only opens the landscape for another coyote or two to move in.

If a coyote has presented a behaviour that is concerning, Brampton Animal Services has a strategy to address each concern in a proactive manner to prevent attacks. A response plan is also in place for the rare occasion when coyotes attack people or pets.

The role of Animal Services is to help and care for lost, sick and injured animals in the community. If you see a sick or injured coyote, please call 311.

If a coyote poses an immediate threat to public safety, call 911.

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Coyotes are extremely curious and intelligent animals; just like us, they like to watch what is happening around them. Young coyotes are immature and very puppy-like: things like children playing with toys can cause the juvenile coyote to engage in play behaviour. If you are concerned that a coyote is paying too much attention to your small dog or child, pick them up and begin making loud noises and/or throwing objects toward them (not at them). Never turn your back and run, and maintain direct eye contact while using strong verbal cues such as yelling “Get away” (no screaming).​

The Eastern Coyote is an extremely intelligent, family-oriented and highly adaptive species. Since the 17th century, the landscape of Ontario has vastly changed, pushing out the natural species such as bears, wolves and cougars. Unlike these animals, coyotes are easily able to navigate urban landscapes. There are plenty of natural food sources, such as rodents and rabbits, and manmade food sources, such as garbage and handouts in urban settings. They can also build dens in abandoned or unmaintained lots with long grass, dead brush and wood piles.​

Eastern Coyotes share remnants of DNA with wolves. Scientists estimate that the species started being cross-bred approximately 100 years ago in northwestern Ontario. While today's Eastern Coyote often looks wolf-like, it is much smaller than a wolf. The small amount of DNA they share with wolves does not affect their behaviour in terms of how humans can safely coexist with them.​

Yes, bird feeders indirectly attract coyotes by attracting rodents. Rodents make up at least 75 percent of a coyote diet.​

Feeding coyotes will encourage them to return to a specific area to look for more food. Multiple studies from across North America show that feeding wild animals, intentionally or accidentally, creates a greater chance of conflict with pets and attacks on people if the coyote gets too accustomed to being around humans.​

Coyotes are omnivores. They eat small rodents and local vegetation, such as berries and fruits. While coyotes may not distinguish between a cat, small dog or other small animals, such as rabbits or rats, they do not hunt dogs. Usually, coyotes see dogs as potential competition for food, or as a threat.​

Removing an active food source is one of the necessary components in keeping coyotes at an ideal distance from humans. Available food will attract coyotes and many other wildlife, making them more comfortable in the area and around humans. Coyotes will remain in urban areas, just as many other wildlife have; however, ensuring they’re not provided with food sources is a primary component of keeping coyotes wild and away from people.​​

Coyotes are normally very wary of humans and avoid people whenever possible. Coyotes that do not show a natural fear for people may have become used to humans by someone feeding them.

Brampton Animal Services has a strategy to address the rare occasion when coyotes attack people or pets and is working towards being more proactive to prevent attacks. When people feed coyotes, intentionally or unintentionally, coyotes become familiar with humans, are no longer afraid of humans, and show increasingly aggressive behaviour. Localized attacks can come from coyotes conditioned to see humans as providing a food source. This learned behaviour creates an environment where wildlife is conditioned to be comfortable with direct human interaction and may come to depend on humans for food.

If a coyote poses an immediate threat to public safety, call 911.

If you are bitten by a coyote, please seek immediate medical attention and report the incident to:

The Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act prohibits anyone from releasing live wildlife more than one kilometre from where it is trapped. Contraventions of the Act carry a penalty of up to $25,000 and imprisonment for up to one year. The requirement to release trapped wildlife in close proximity ensures that wildlife remains in its home range area and minimizes the potential spread of disease and parasites to protect people and wildlife in our community and throughout the province.

Trapping and relocating is ineffectiv​e as coyotes will return in a short period of time if moved and can travel long distances in a few days. Additionally, removing coyotes often has the opposite of the intended effect and can increase local coyote populations as new animals move into the vacated area.

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