80 coyote sightings and encounters reported in first year of Perth County tracking and education program

Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Residents of Perth County’s four lower-tier municipalities, Stratford and St. Marys reported a total of 80 coyote sightings and encounters in the first year of Perth County’s coyote tracking and public-education program.

After county council instructed staff early last year to launch and promote a web portal at www.perthcounty.ca/coyotes, which was officially launched in November 2024, that includes both a coyote-sighting form allowing residents to report coyotes online, and information on how to safely live alongside coyotes and what to do during a coyote encounter, county staff presented the data collected as of Oct. 31 of this year to county council at its regular meeting Dec. 4.

“Since launch, we’ve received over 3,000 views to the page and the form linked on the page offers residents an easy way to report sightings and provides public information on how to safely coexist with coyotes,” county communications officer Sarah Franklin said. “ … As of Oct. 31 this year, 80 sighting reports were submitted; 72 of those were considered to be sightings, eight encounters (with people or pets) and zero concerns about sick or injured animals.

“Reports came in from across the county with higher numbers in more populated areas, likely as there are more people present to observe them.”

Some of the reports submitted through the county website indicated sightings or encounters with multiple coyotes. Additionally, reports could be submitted by multiple people who saw the same coyote.

Breaking those numbers down further:

• The highest number of individual coyotes seen in a single month was 80 in November 2024 with 28 reports submitted online;

• The lowest number of coyotes reported in a single month was zero in August 2025 with no reports submitted; and

• There were 38 coyotes sighted in North Perth, 53 in Perth East, 14 in Perth South, 20 in West Perth, 43 in Stratford and three in St. Marys;

Additionally, in the eight reported encounters with coyotes:

• Coyotes observed near chicken enclosures commonly resulted in an interaction with a pet;

• There were two reports of a coyote observed in close proximity to a home – in one instance, the coyote had to be verbally discouraged from moving closer;

• There were two reports of a coyote moving towards a dogwalker in an urban area; and   

• There was a close encounter with a coyote when a person was hiking on a local trail, but they were able to scare the animal away with loud noises.

Prior to the launch of this program by the county, there was no method for tracking coyotes in Perth County except for when farmers reported coyote interactions with livestock through the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program run by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.

“I wonder if, down the road, there is an avenue we should be looking at further, and I guess my question is, are there any counties surrounding us that actually have a bounty or some type of reimbursement for coyotes?” Coun. Walter McKenzie asked.

In response, county CAO Lori Wolfe said council had considered a formal program for the management of coyotes last year prior to council approving the tracking and public-education program. At the time, she said the county did not have enough data to justify a predation program similar to the one in Huron County.

While both Wolfe and McKenzie suggested that, should coyote sightings and encounters escalate in future years, there may be cause to consider such a program, Coun. Rhonda Ehgoetz cautioned against offering a bounty on coyotes.

“A bounty could bring a lot of problems,” she said. “When you put bounties on them, you have people coming into the area, coming onto people’s property. Sometimes they just cut the ear off of the animal to prove that they got it and leave the carcases all over farmers’ properties. Bounties will cause a whole lot of issues.”

Ehgoetz did note that coyote hunting is permitted in some areas of the county, and both her husband and Coun. Jerry Smith cull between 40 and 50 coyotes each year.