Coyote snatches cat near Shear Park as Barrie sightings increase

With colder weather approaching, residents are reminded to be wary of coyotes as they increase their hunting for food in and around Sunnidale Park and other naturalized areas throughout the city, after a cat was reportedly snatched last week.

There has been no shortage of coyote sightings in Barrie in the past several weeks, with the wild animals being spotted in the park, along residential streets nearby, as well as in other locations such as Leacock Park near Edgehill Drive and Anne Street North.

Plenty of social media chatter and photos have been posted in recent weeks describing coyote interactions within the city.

One south-end Barrie resident described an incident involving a coyote attacking a black-and-white cat in her neighbourhood last Thursday night around 11 p.m.

“I was out on my driveway having a smoke and saw what looked like a big grey dog,” Krystal Sauck told BarrieToday on Saturday.

She resides on Adelaide Street near Shear Park, which is close to Anne Street South and Essa Road.

“It was heading down the street, so I paid no mind, then a minute later I saw it come back … which I now see as a coyote, grab a cat by the back of its neck and shake it, and the sounds were terrifying,” Sauck said.

“I yelled and tried to scare the coyote so it would drop the animal, but it would not, and I kept hearing terrifying shrieks and sounds from the animal while it got ripped apart,” Sauk added, saying she has been left “very traumatized” by the incident.

“The coyote seemed to be going up and down the street like it knew there was a cat,” she added.

Manne Guerrero, a dog owner living in Letitia Heights, captured images of a coyote as he was waking his pup near Browning Trail and Shakespeare Avenue around lunchtime on Oct. 14.

“I was walking my dog and when I arrived back home I opened my garage, let my dog in,” he told BarrieToday.

“I turned around and he was right across the street. He seemed to be just looking for food as he was smelling the ground and looking through some bushes."

Guerrero pulled out his phone to take pictures of the coyote, as it walked along the side of the road between cars, stopped at the corner, sat down and looked around.

“After that he just walked back from where he came from and disappeared from my sight. I did not follow so I'm not sure where he went after that. There were a few people out but he didn't seem interested in getting near,” he added.

Coyote attacks in Barrie are not uncommon, with one recent example being a small dog which was snatched up and taken away in Sunnidale Park back in January.

In that incident, the owner was walking their dog at the park in the morning of Jan. 2 — not in the off-leash area, but walking toward it.

A coyote came out of the nearby woods and grabbed the small dog, then retreated back into the forest. The dog was never recovered.

Tips offered by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry say if you encounter a coyote, it's best to keep your distance and the animal will most likely avoid you.

But if you encounter an aggressive animal, the ministry says do not turn your back or run. Remain calm, stand tall, wave your hands, and make lots of noise while slowly backing away from them.

If a coyote or any other wild animal poses an immediate threat or danger to public safety, call 9-1-1.

Pets such as small dogs or cats can be seen as prey for the animals, and should not be left unattended outside.

Always keep your dogs on a leash.

Ministry tips on how to limit attracting coyotes to your property:

•  Properly store and maintain garbage containers to help prevent coyotes from becoming a problem
• Keep pet food indoors
• Put garbage out the morning of a scheduled pickup
• Use enclosed composting bins rather than exposed piles
• Pick ripe fruit and seed from trees and remove fallen fruit from the ground
• Protect vegetable gardens with heavy-duty garden fences or place vegetable plants in a greenhouse.