Coyote denning season could lead to defensive behaviour, park board warns months after attack-prompted cull

Vancouver park-goers are being advised to watch out for coyotes as denning season approaches.

Vancouver park-goers are being advised to watch out for coyotes as denning season approaches.

The city's park board issued an advisory Tuesday about the upcoming season. Coyotes begin breeding in January in Vancouver, the board said, and litters of pups are born in the spring.

As they try to take care of their young, their behaviour may change, the board said. While coyotes are typically seen at sunrise and sunset, they may be out during the daytime as they look for food, and there's a risk of defensive behaviour if they feel their offspring are threatened.

The board didn't call Tuesday's message a warning, but instead said it was promoting "peaceful coexistence" and "reminding the public how to respect and interact with coyotes."

But the advisory comes just months after a coyote cull in one of the city's most popular parks.

Numerous attacks, some of which involved children, prompted the cull in Stanley Park, a controversial update that was expected to eliminate as many as 35 coyotes.

In the end, only four were killed in the cull, though seven others died in previous efforts to address the attacks.