City of Toronto Responds to Coyote Cull Rumors, Emphasizes Aversion Techniques

Will Toronto remove the Liberty Village coyotes? Here’s what we know.

Greg Noakes

Feb 07, 2025

brown coyote on snow covered ground during daytime — Photo by Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández on Unsplash

UPDATE: As of February 15th, 2025, this article is out of date. Please visit the latest on this matter here:

Experts Say No Quick Fix for Toronto’s Growing Coyote Problem

Greg Noakes

Feb 15

Read full story

On February 6th, 2025, Random Photo Adventure Chronicles received word that the City of Toronto may have reached a decision to humanely kill problematic coyotes in Liberty Village. Concerned by this, Random Photo Adventure Chronicles reached out to the City of Toronto for comment.

This surfaced amid ongoing debate in Toronto on how to address the coyote issue, following a nine-day period in which 13 attacks were reported, resulting in at least two dogs being killed. As of January 31, the City of Toronto had received 34 complaints about coyotes in Liberty Village over the previous two weeks, according to CBC News.

In a article dated February 4th, CBC News reported that some experts believe the coyotes should be "humanely killed, not relocated" due to the risks they pose to pets. However, the local councillor for the area stated that lethal removal would only be considered "as a last resort."

In response to the inquiry, a member of Toronto’s Media Relations team provided the following emailed statement:

"The City of Toronto is concerned about the coyote sightings and encounters that have been challenging for those who live, work and play in Liberty Village, and is working on a response that will have an impact. We have stepped up our response to coyotes in the community and City staff have been in the area every day to monitor coyote activity. We are also educating residents on coyote behaviour, so that both the community and wildlife can coexist safely and peacefully. We understand that community dog owners are afraid and we are doing everything in our capacity to keep them safe and informed.

City staff have been using aversion techniques with coyotes they have encountered in Liberty Village and so far, the coyotes have responded to these techniques and left the area when confronted. This shows that it is possible to safely coexist with these coyotes. This co-existence can be reinforced by the community keeping their dogs leashed and remaining aware of their surroundings, to minimize the possibility of dogs interacting with coyotes. Most encounters with coyotes are the result of dogs being off-leash. More information on coyotes can be accessed at toronto.ca/coyotes.”

The City has not confirmed whether lethal removal will be used, instead emphasizing that “aversion techniques have been effective so far."

Safely co-existing with coyotes is possible, but requires the public’s cooperation. When encountered, the public should employ hazing or aversion techniques. These are actions specifically intended to make coyotes feel uncomfortable around humans, this reinforces their natural instinct to be fearful of humans.

Coyote Watch Canada, a non-profit, community-based wildlife organization that advocates for positive human-wildlife coexistence, recommends the following techniques in their Keeping Strong Boundaries: Everything You Need to Know to Be Wildlife Smart and help keep wildlife wild guide:

Basic Aversion Conditioning Techniques
Stand your ground, make yourself big, wave your arms and shout (don’t scream) while stepping in the direction of the coyote until he or retreats
Use a noisemaker, such as:
your voice
an air horn or whistle
pots and pans banged together
a shake can (such as a pop can filled with coins or pebbles)
snapping a large plastic garbage bag
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