Steven Roy said he went rollerblading with his two dogs Friday night near Bishop Grandin in the Waverly Heights area. While there, he said they encountered four coyotes. “We had all four of them come in, time us, attack us. And then they followed us very closely, interacting for almost nine minutes straight,” Roy said. He said he had heard there were sightings near some of the lakes in Waverley Heights, but was still very shocked when they appeared. Roy eventually managed to scare off the coyotes, noting that he has two large dogs which made the interaction a little easier. “I was lucky enough to have £300 worth of dogs with me, my two big ones. an easy escape. They were definitely after us.” Roy added that such an interaction is unusual for the neighborhood and he wanted to make sure other people knew what was going on to ensure they were safe. “It was definitely too much. It gave me a concern that I thought surely everyone in this neighborhood should know about,” he said. “We hope (any) agency that gets involved in this can put a stop to it immediately. We don’t want to see cats lost, dogs lost, children hurt.” A provincial spokesman said there are about 70 coyote sightings within Winnipeg city limits a year, but added that most of those are sightings, not collisions. “All reported collisions in the city involve a pet, and generally there are two to three reports of coyote attacks on a person’s pet each year,” the spokesman said. They added that coyotes usually try to avoid human encounters, but become bolder and more aggressive when human-based food sources are available. When it comes to dealing with pets, the province said people should not leave them outside unattended and they should be on a leash while out for walks. If people encounter a coyote, they are told to remain calm, gather small pets or children, and leave larger pets restrained. People are told not to run and to back away slowly, but not to turn their backs on the animal. If a coyote approaches, people are told to act big, make loud noises, and fight back. Any incidents of coyotes approaching humans in Winnipeg can be reported to 204-945-5221.
