Coyote task force set up in Athens

By Jessica Sims

ATHENS — A new task force is being set up to help livestock farmers in Leeds and Grenville deal with the coyote threat.

The force was created after a recent meeting in Athens attracted 150 residents. The Ministry of Natural Resources has promised to help with a task force of ten local farmers, trappers, and residents.

Last year, the Ontario government paid $85,000 to farmers in Leeds and Grenville as compensation for livestock losses of mostly sheep and calves — over double the compensation given the year before.

Kim Sytsma, a beef farmer near Athens, signed up for the force. She lost two calves last year, and often finds coyotes around her farm. "They’re not afraid of people," she said. With the radio constantly blaring, they still loiter in her barn. She has had to throw stones at one to keep it out of a neighbour’s garage.

Lansdowne area sheep farmer Alan Whitlam has noticed more coyotes over the past 15 years, probably because they’re out of natural predators, he said.

Although numbers are high, it’s only a few "bad apple" coyotes that have developed the taste for livestock, according to MNR biologist Scott Smithers. He said the best way for farmers to deal with these coyotes is to shoot them.

Yet Sytsma doesn’t own a gun, and when she calls trappers they’re usually busy. She’s heard suggestions like cyanide collars for sheep (to act in the same targeted way a gun would) and special netted fencing but said they’re impractical for larger farms.

Whitlam keeps 11 guard dogs for his sheep. Also a trapper, he often helps neighbours with their coyote problem but said it takes up his time and resources. He signed up for the force, too.

Whitlam would like for MNR to either organize its own teams of coyote trappers or provide a bounty to hunters for every coyote they kill, similar to a program set up by the Saskatchewan government.

Currently, Smithers said MNR’s role is to provide advice and information to help individuals either deal with the coyotes on their own or put them in touch with local trappers. A bounty program could actually increase the population, because coyotes reproduce faster when their numbers are dropping.

The maximum compensation farmers can receive from the government is $200 for a sheep or goat, and $1000 for a cow.

This isn’t enough for Whitlam, especially for purebred livestock. Roger Haley, from Front of Yonge Township who’s helping the task force, said livestock compensation hasn’t been updated in over ten years.

Smithers said the coyote population will likely go down soon. Since there are so many, it increases the risk of a sarcoptic mange.