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Photo of a rural coyote. Submitted by Province of Manitoba Conservation.<\/p>\nContent warning:\u00a0A video in this article shows natural wildlife predation involving a coyote and a goose. Some viewers may find the footage distressing.<\/p>\n
Anyone who has noticed an uptick in coyote sightings across the Pembina Valley lately isn’t imagining things. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Conservation officer Nick Woroniuk says the trend, which has developed over the past few years, is the result of\u00a0a growing coyote population\u00a0that has been venturing into communities and urban centres more regularly. \u00a0<\/p>\n
A visitor in a Morden schoolyard\u00a0<\/p>\n
Amid the recent sightings in the Pembina Valley, one that stands out is the report of a coyote lingering in a schoolyard in Morden. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Woroniuk said he confirmed the sighting after speaking with the school\u2019s groundskeeper and another staff member.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He said that while the animal was \u201changing around,\u201d it did not exhibit any aggressive behaviour, but it did appear to be searching for a meal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[If] kids are having snacks outside, and sandwiches, and tossing food scraps on the ground as opposed to in garbage cans, …\u00a0just like bears or\u00a0anything else, once [coyotes]\u00a0get a taste for food and they know where they can\u00a0find food with easy access, they will keep coming around,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that that was one of the reasons why that coyote kept coming to that area.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curious at a distance, getting used to people\u00a0<\/p>\n
Woroniuk continued that the coyote stayed a distance away, but that, in general, wildlife is curious \u2014 so it didn’t completely leave the vicinity.<\/p>\n
Photo of a rural coyote. Submitted by Province of Manitoba Conservation.<\/p>\n
He said that as coyotes venture into developed areas more often, they become accustomed to seeing people, which can also encourage them to stay close.<\/p>\n
\u201cA coyote in an urban environment will react very differently\u00a0to seeing people or activity than a coyote that\u00a0lives out in the country. It gets used to seeing people, and it knows it doesn’t need to be afraid.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
A high population in Manitoba\u00a0<\/p>\n
In general, Woroniuk said the coyote population in the province has been high in recent years.<\/p>\n
He suspects the growing numbers are tied to trends in the fur industry. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough I’m not a biologist, just from our observations, the fur industry in Canada, never mind Manitoba, has kind of fallen out, so there isn’t a big market for fur bearers being coyotes anymore, so we don’t have hunters, and we don’t have trappers,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don’t have trappers …\u00a0taking coyotes off the landscape, so the populations are growing because of that.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
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He added that there is also abundant food for the animals in the province, which helps their numbers. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a very high deer population in southern Manitoba, especially around the\u00a0Morden and Winkler area, so where there’s food, we have healthy populations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Expanding developments\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another factor in seeing more coyotes, Woroniuk\u00a0said, is that land use and growing housing developments are also branching out further into the region where the coyotes live.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s their habitat, right? So now they’re moving closer into those more residential areas where people are going to see them more,\u201d he said, adding that, again, the food\u00a0present in areas with people is too much to resist for a highly adaptable animal that can flourish wherever sustenance and cover are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCoyotes are omnivorous. They eat everything, like bird feed, dog food, garbage, [barbecued food] \u2014 all of these nice smells and things that they can get their\u00a0mouths on,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce they learn that they can get that, they have no reason to leave.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
‘It\u2019s a very rare occurrence that coyotes will attack people\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although coyote sightings may cause concern in the community, for Woroniuk, it\u2019s important to \u201crespect\u201d the animals and adjust to coexisting with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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It’s a very rare occurrence that coyotes will attack people. There have been occurrences in Manitoba in recent times where coyotes have nipped people, but those are very few and far between.<\/p>\n
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-Conservation officer Nick Woroniuk on the threat level of coyotes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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He said they don\u2019t pose too much of a risk to their human neighbours.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s a very rare occurrence that coyotes will attack people. There have been occurrences in Manitoba in recent times where coyotes have nipped people, but those are very few and far between,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are stemming from interactions with humans prior to that, where\u00a0it’s just like a dog. If\u00a0they start getting fed by people, they learn that\u00a0food comes from a hand, so they will follow people looking for food.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Nicholas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/manitou_conservation_officer_nicholas_woroniuk_august_2025.jpg\"\/)
Nick Woroniuk, a Manitou-based Conservation officer with the Province of Manitoba.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that curiosity is also an important part of their behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because a coyote may be following somebody doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s being aggressive. It’s just like a stray dog.\u00a0A stray dog will follow you,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tips for deterring coyotes \u00a0<\/p>\n
Although coyotes are here to stay, Woroniuk said there are strategies that can help keep them away from residential areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since food and cover make the animals comfortable, the best approach is to introduce some discomfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf every time we see a coyote,\u00a0we run away in fear and we go and hide, those coyotes learn very quickly. It’s like, \u2018Oh, I don’t need to be afraid of a two-footed person. They run away from me,\u2019\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[However], if we are removing all the food, and when we see coyotes in those environments \u2014 in a backyard or whatever \u2014 if we go outside, we yell at them, we bang some pots and pans together, blow an air horn, a whistle, throw sticks at them, they will learn pretty quickly that this is not a good place for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s no different than kids playing on a street, where\u00a0if there’s a homeowner who goes and yells at them every time they throw a baseball into the yard,\u00a0they will learn pretty quickly [not to play there].\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rural concerns\u00a0<\/p>\n
For farmers and those who live on rural properties, Woroniuk acknowledges that while it\u2019s important to protect livestock, just because a coyote may appear doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s a threat.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, to keep them at bay, he said the same strategy of creating discomfort works in this setting as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a coyote’s out near your yard, honk your horn at it. Drive towards it, make sure that it’s uncomfortable,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Putting chickens in the coop during the night, calving closer to home,\u00a0and removing pet food from outside also help. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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I would just encourage people not to live in fear. If you do see these animals, [just make]\u00a0some loud noise.\u00a0We have to learn to live together with wildlife as opposed to without it, because they’re here to stay and so are we.<\/p>\n
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-Conservation Nick Woroniuk on responding to coyotes in the Pembina Valley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Since coyotes seek cover in dark, enclosed spaces like decks, Woroniuk said it\u2019s also a good idea\u00a0to cover these structures.\u00a0<\/p>\n