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Local Grey-Bruce MPP Bill Murdoch is worried that the government does not understand the problem that coyotes are creating in rural Ontario for farmers, their families and domestic animals.

He is presently inviting constituents to drop by his constituency office in Owen Sound to sign a petition calling on the province to control coyote attacks through a province-wide bounty program.

Murdoch’s petition is calling for a $200 province-wide bounty on coyotes to be paid by Queen’s Park.

“The current system is too cumbersome. What I’m proposing would give farmers a direct way of dealing with problem coyotes without having to go through government red-tape,” Murdoch said.

Right now, every time a farm animal is killed by a predator in Ontario, an e-valuator is called in to determine if the municipality should reimburse the farmer. Currently, each county has its own reimbursement rate.

“We need one uniform bounty for all of Ontario. This is the only way to deal with the problem,” Murdoch said.

Murdoch also said county offices should be coordinating verification and will have to properly dispose of the evidence.

According to some coyote 'bounty' collectors, the provincial government has taken the untoward step to reduce the coyote population by discontinuing its air-dropping of inoculation methods that prevent diseases and proliferation in the coyote population.

"What we are seeing," says the collector, "is a drastic increase in mange, which is unspeakable cruelty to these animals."

The disease is intensely irritating and animals have been known to chew their own tails off trying to relieve the itching. At advanced stages of the disease, infected individuals are often seen wandering around during the daytime, especially in cold weather trying to maintain their body temperature by looking for warm places, such as buildings. Death may arise from a wide variety of causes, including starvation and hypothermia.

Mange is a common disease of  both coyotes and foxes and has, in fact, caused fox population crashes around the world, including Britain and Scandinavia. Mange spreads effectively through rural and urban populations and, in Bristol England, populations of foxes alone declined by 95% just two years following the arrival of mange.

Symptoms of Mange in Coyotes

·    Acts confused or disoriented

·    Attempts to fight with or attack non living objects or pets

·    Physically limping or appearing to be paralyzed or dragging rear legs.

·    Will come out of a protected and safe park or ravine area into a home or building, or to a barn where livestock are housed.

·    Some areas will see a coyote with large areas of missing fur and heavily crusted areas on the legs that may be cracked and bleeding.   This condition is called mange and it is contagious among other coyotes. It is caused by a mange mite and is virtually impossible to treat in wild populations.

·    If you are concerned with an adult coyote who has mange and is looking after a litter, call an authorized wildlife custodian or a wildlife centre with experience in handling these issues for advice. 

·    Never approach a sick coyote on your own.

Keeping Safe Around Coyotes

If you live in an area that has a coyote population, these items can help you stay safe:

·    Personal alarm or whistle – deters the animal and can get help for you if necessary. 

·    Carrying a cell phone for emergencies is also helpful.

·    Carry a flashlight and an umbrella, both are known to deter coyotes from approaching you (open and close the umbrella and shine the light at them)

·    Avoid letting your pet off leash to roam freely while you walk.  Keep your pet leashed.

·    Avoid walking during heightened coyote activity times, dusk and dawn. 

·    If you are approached, stretch out your arms and legs to make yourself appear large and make noise.  Stay calm.

·    Never run.

Before and after as a result of Mange

"I've heard a rumour,"says Murdoch,  "that this provincial government is implementing a withholding on inoculation as a method of reducing the coyote population.  If any of these 'politicians' ever saw an animal inflicted with mange, they would never approve such a system.   These animals go wild and often chew off their own inflicted areas"

"Not only that," he adds, "but legal trappers will no longer trap coyotes for their pelts, which helps reduce the population, because their skins are so diseased.  Once again, these decisions are being made in the city where they (politicians) don't have to deal with the problem first-hand.  Is this humane?  Absolutely not!" 

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011