City of Brampton Logo

Learn about Coyotes

Page Banner

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Coyotes have been in Ontario for over a century, having migrated here long ago. The City of Brampton receives reports of approximately 1,300 coyote sightings each year.

As urban sprawl has increased and humans have impeded on natural habitats, coyotes have adapted very well to life in major North American cities, including Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. In cities, they live in urban forests, woodlands, ravines, meadows and parklands, which make up our Natural Heritage System.

Coyotes sometimes live alone but often live in family groups, usually consisting of the mother, father, last year's offspring, and this year's pups.

A coyote family occupies a home range area where they reside and seek food. This area might overlap with the home range area of another coyote family.

Understanding and respecting coyote behaviour allows humans and coyotes to coexist. Part of coexisting with coyotes is establishing and maintaining clear boundaries between humans and animals. This means:

  • ​preventing coyotes from accessing human sources of food
  • ​​reminding coyotes that humans are not their friends

Coyotes found in Brampton are Eastern Coyotes, averaging a weight of approximately 31-40 lbs. They are often active at dawn and dusk to minimize their interaction with people, but it is normal to see them during the day.

Coyotes are integral members of our diverse ecosystem and contribute to a necessary and healthy prey-predator balance. Coyotes are a natural form of rodent control. Their primary diet consists of mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels and groundhogs. They also eat birds, eggs, snakes, turtles, fish, fruit and plants. Coyotes will also take advantage of the opportunity to scavenge, including eating food from garbage. Human-coyote conflicts may arise when we intentionally feed them or inadvertently create opportunities for free food around our City by placing food items in our garbage or recycling bins or letting our garbage containers overflow.

Coyote Vocalizations

Many people experience panic when they hear coyote howls and yips, but it's important to recognize that coyotes are always around us. Whether you hear them or not, they exist in our neighbourhoods, parks and green spaces. When you hear them howl, it isn't because they've just arrived or are searching for food; they've been there all along. Coyotes don't howl or yip when they're hunting; they do so to communicate with each other. A coyote may vocalize to bond with family, meet up with a friend or relative, or warn other coyotes that their area is taken. Coyotes live in family groups of two to five individuals but use auditory illusions to make themselves sound like a large, intimidating pack. Just one mated pair may sound like a dozen or more animals.

Coyote Seasonal Milestones

Coyotes are naturally timid animals, and most sightings we receive reflect this. Typically, they like to avoid people and confrontation, which has made them suitable for urban environments. Coyotes breed once a year, going through all the stages of raising a family and, if successful, rearing a litter of pups. The whole family is involved in raising new young. Because it's a vulnerable period for the mom and pups, they tend to go from aloof and avoidant to protective, wary, and assertive. People, and especially dogs that may present a threat to them, will be on the receiving end of these behaviours.

​​​

Staying Safe around Coyotes

  • Never intentionally leave food on the ground or offer food to a coyote or other animal. When people hand-feed coyotes, they lose their fear of humans and may even come to us for food. Feeding coyotes directly (purposely offering them food) or indirectly (by leaving food on the ground, not disposing of garbage properly, or feeding their prey like birds, squirrels and rodents) will encourage them to return to a specific area and put people at higher risk of encounters.
  • Keep your pets on a leash except in designated off-leash areas. As natural predators, coyotes may mistake smaller dogs and cats for prey. This is normal behaviour, and it is our role to take responsible actions to prevent coyote encounters.
  • Dispose of waste properly. Food attractants are one of the known causes of coyotes becoming habituated to humans, and they significantly increase the chance of conflict. Coyotes are intelligent and will return to areas where they can easily scavenge for food. Discarded garbage also attracts coyotes' prey, like birds, squirrels, and rodents. Do your part to maintain animals' natural diet and keep coyotes at bay by disposing of your waste in secured containers and putting them out for collection on the morning of garbage day.
  • When coyotes lose their fear of humans, both your safety and theirs are at risk. Coyotes respond best when you clearly communicate that their presence is not tolerated, even if you love seeing them. If a coyote approaches you, act aggressively by making yourself big and yelling. Consider carrying a can with coins to shake to make a startling noise. Most importantly, do not turn your back or run. Coyotes, like foxes and dogs, have a natural instinct to chase.

Coyote Aversion Conditioning (Humane Hazing)

Aversion conditioning (or humane hazing) is a method of negative association that safely compels wildlife, such as coyotes or foxes, to move away from humans, sometimes through the use of deterrents. Even if you love seeing coyotes, don't let them know it. Use the techniques below when you see one in a residential area. Everyone's safety, including the coyotes, depends on wildlife not becoming used to being around people.

  • Aversion conditioning is not a new technique. It has been used with great success around the world with many species.
  • Aversion conditioning can restore a coyote's natural avoidance of humans and minimize interactions.
  • In areas with regular coyote sightings, patience is required. Intensive and consistent aversion conditioning may be necessary to encourage the coyote to move on entirely.
  • It is important to remember that each coyote has a different level of "food education". Some coyotes have been taught that people (and their properties) will provide food (e.g., direct feeding, compost bins, bird feeders, or cat and dog food left outside).
  • Using aversion conditioning techniques on a coyote can effectively change its behaviour and help ensure that future coyotes do not develop these behaviours.

Basic Aversion Conditioning (Humane Hazing) Techniques

  • Stand tall, make yourself big, wave your arms and shout (don't scream) while approaching the coyote until they run away.
  • Use a noisemaker, such as:
    • your voice
    • an air horn
    • pots and pans banged together
    • a whistle
    • a shake can (such as a pop can filled with coins or pebbles)
    • 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

Note: if a coyote has never been hazed before, he or she may not run away immediately just by you vocalizing. You may need to approach the coyote while incorporating some of the above-mentioned deterrents. If the coyote runs a short distance, stops, and turns to look at you, continue to haze the coyote until he or she has completely left the area.​
​​

 Coyote FAQs