The city has been working hard to force a dog-killing coyote out of its Beaches redoubt, but with no success so far, says a resident who lost his pet to the feral canine.
"They were out shooting paintballs at it today," Sean Maxwell, who lives on Neville Park Boulevard, told ctvtoronto.ca on Saturday.
He believed the paintballs contained biodegradable paint.
One wildlife control worker has been trying to scare the coyote with an air horn.
For whatever reason, the city doesn't want to trap the animal. Instead, they want to make the coyote so uncomfortable that it will leave and go either to Ashbridges Bay or the Leslie Spit, where it likely came from, he said.
Neville Park Boulevard runs northward from Queen St. E. into a ravine in the Beaches neighbourhood, but also jobs west before going south to Lake Ontario. The ravine is heavily treed, offering cover for urban wildlife such as coyotes and raccoons.
The area is 1.6 kilometres from Ashbridges Bay and at least 3.2 kilometres from the northernmost reaches of the spit.
Maxwell wondered sarcastically if the city expected the coyote to take the streetcar westward.
His coyote troubles started last month. Maxwell got to see the animal snatch his six-year-old chihuahua Zoe after first jumping a 1.2-metre fence.
The next day the coyote attacked a second dog, triggering some action by the city.
Maxwell gave city workers and a wildlife control specialist credit for working hard, but noted that their work is being hampered by the fact that at least four people in the area have admitted leaving out food for the coyote.
His 3�-year-old daughter can't use the yard -- and doesn't want to, because she's still traumatized by what happened to Zoe, he said.
The coyote still comes around his yard a few times per day -- probably because it had success finding food once before, he said.
Maxwell said he's even heard stories of the coyote coming up onto people's decks and staring through the window at pet dogs inside.
Although he doesn't want the animal killed, Maxwell said he doesn't understand why the city is so reluctant to trap the coyote -- and he can't get a straight answer when he asked.
Ctvtoronto.ca tried calling the city's animal services department, but couldn't reach anyone for comment.
For the immediate future, Maxwell's backyard, which he described as a "coyote hunting ground," remains a no-go zone for his children and remaining dog, another Chihuahua named Pluto.
At least in winter, "he stood out against the snow," but with spring coming and the snow melting, the coyote will be that much tougher to spot, he said.
"Human safety is paramount, and if they have to trap it, then they should do it and get on with it," Maxwell said.
But resident Patty Cuccia is dismissive of such fears, saying, "this is more disturbing to the neighbourhood" -- referring to a professional trapper checking out the ravine.
Cuccia added she doesn't let her cats out, but Maxwell said one can't watch their children or pets all the time, and they could slip out.
CTV Toronto's Chris Eby reported that if these current measures don't work, the city will likely try to trap and remove the coyote. However, he also said there have been no reports yet in Toronto of coyotes attack either adult humans or children.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Chris Eby
