Coyote killed after attacking unhoused people in Prince George

A coyote waskilled after being caught attacking an unhoused person in Prince George, B.C.

Eamon McArthur of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said it happened the night of Sept. 30 when an RCMP officer responded to a call of the coyote attempting to bite a person sleeping rough in the city.

"The coyote was successfully captured and euthanized," he said, adding that he is "very confident" it is the same animal that was responsible for several other attacks on vulnerable people in the downtown area.

On Sept. 26, four separate people were attacked by the same animal in the area, near ConnaughtHill Park and Parkwood Place, a downtown shopping centre.

The city closed Connaught Hill as the conservation officer serviceset several live traps in an effort to capture the animal but were unsuccessful, with the coyote attacking yet another person later that week.

McArthur said he is "100 per cent certain" the coyote hadbecome habituated due to people feeding it, often because they were throwing food in an effort to keep the animal away from them and warned against doing the same with other wild animals in the city.

People who see a coyote are advised to instead make themselves look as big as possible, make loud noises and swing sticks or other available objects in an effort to scare the animal off, according to WildsafeBC.