Two people were arrested and a vehicle seized in connection with coyote feeding in Stanley Park the day the park reopened after a coyote cull.
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A Vancouver-based organization dedicated to protect animals with fur has praised the arrests of two people in Stanley Park in connection with feeding coyotes.
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On Wednesday, the Conservation Officers Service (COS) announced the arrests along with the seizure of a vehicle.
COS South Coast Region Insp. Drew Milne said the arrests occurred on Tuesday, the day the park was fully reopened to the public after a two-week shutdown for the slaughter of coyotes.
“Direct feeding or placing attractants to attract dangerous wild animals like coyotes is a dangerous activity and creates a risk to public safety,” Milne said in a video posted on COS Facebook Page.
Because the investigation is active, he said he would not reveal any specific details.
“The COS is taking this matter seriously,” he said.
“It is not normal for coyotes to approach or chase people. Aggressive behavior towards people is almost always the result of the animal becoming too comfortable for humans due to direct or indirect feeding. “
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He said that while people who feed wildlife may feel like it is the right thing to do, it is behavior that has a “dramatic cause and effect relationship.”
Since last December, there have been 45 attacks on humans by coyotes in Stanley Park. So far, 11 coyotes have been killed, including four in a recent two-week massacre that took place at British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development.
Lesley Fox, CEO of the Vancouver-based company The bearers of skins, said the arrests and seizure of a vehicle is an “important first step. We are very happy that COS is making this effort. “
He said the circumstances of the arrests would indicate that more than “casual feeding” was taking place.
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“It is almost on a commercial scale. When you start impounding vehicles, it’s really significant, as opposed to, say, having half a granola bar in your pocket. “
Fox said enforcement of no-feed laws should take place at the local, municipal level and not be left to provincial conservation officials.
“The COS has so few staff, so little funding,” he said. “It’s not her job to babysit Stanley Park.”
Stanley Park, he said, deserves attention and a significant budget and resource allocation, including toward animal welfare.
He said that if the park is repeatedly described by the tourism industry as the “jewel in Vancouver’s crown,” why is it overlooked?
“Part of that is committing to animal welfare,” he said.
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“Animals are part of our environment. If Vancouver wants to be the greenest city, part of that includes living with wildlife. “
Fox said he recently visited Stanley Park and saw numerous cases of people feeding wildlife or fattening wildlife by leaving food for them. In some cases, he said, it is for photographs that he suspects are being posted on social media.
“You can imagine how desirable it would be to have a coyote on your social media feed,” he said.
“The appetite for social media is at a point where it puts us, our own health and safety, and the health and safety of animals at risk.
“Unfortunately, I have no doubt that feeding wildlife ultimately leads to their death.”
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He said if people see posts on Instagram, Twitter, or other social media that show people feeding and harassing wildlife, report it to the RAPP provincial line at 1-877-952-7277 and the information and advice line of the City of Vancouver at 311.
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Other measures taken by the park board include the installation of wildlife-proof garbage containers that are designed to ensure that coyotes cannot access food waste. In addition, the board said in a press release that it is analyzing the legal framework around current municipal statutes “to seek enforcement capabilities.”
Following the coyote slaughter, the park board said wildlife experts believe there are a “small number of coyotes” in the park, “but that the” immediate threat to humans has been addressed. “The board recommended that people to be careful if they see a coyote, especially around dusk or dawn.
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Reference-vancouversun.com