Hazing project aims to frighten Edmonton's urban coyotes from the streets

An Edmonton research project is enlisting new recruits to harass urban coyotes in the streets.

A strong pitching arm is considered an asset. 

Volunteers will be encouraged to chase down coyotes, charging and stomping, while lobbing sand-filled tennis balls at the animals.

The repetitive hazing, called aversive conditioning, is intended to make the coyotes more fearful of humans, discouraging them from hunting and rearing their pups in residential areas.

The citizen patrols first hit the streets last winter. Preliminary results suggest the scare tactics are working.

The project is the work of the Edmonton Urban Coyote Project, an ongoing study dedicated to researching the city's population of resident coyotes.

Quite the ruckus is required to give coyotes a good scare, said Colleen Cassady St. Clair, a University of Alberta biologist overseeing the project.

She likens it to a neighbourhood watch. If volunteers can get within 40 metres of a coyote, the hazing begins. 

"Volunteers can shout or shake a can full of coins or use a little hand-held air horn and try to throw a tennis ball," said St. Clair, who often uses the pop of an umbrella on her patrols.

"We think this combination is quite intimidating for coyotes." 

While coyotes rarely attack, the animals can become too bold, leading to unwanted interaction with people and pets.

Many government and conservation agencies, including the City of Edmonton, recommend aversive conditioning as a humane way to manage urban populations of the wild canines. 

Similar tactics have been employed for decades to keep wildlife at bay. Rocks, slingshots and rubber slugs have been used in national parks across North America to deter hungry bears from eating garbage. 

"Hard hazing" could become a powerful and affordable method to manage the estimated 500 to 1,000 coyotes that roam Edmonton, St.Clair said.