Tomorrow coyotes throughout the Province of Nova Scotia will be snared and trapped in a government-sponsored bounty spree. The killing, euphemistically called "a pelt incentive plan," will pay $20 per coyote pelt with the intent of reducing Nova Scotia's coyote population in half. Paradoxically, the number of coyotes that live in the Province is unknown. According to, Nova Scotia's Natural Resource Minister John MacDonell, the killing incentive is aimed at "changing coyote behavior" and "reducing a problem wildlife population" (CBC News 4.2.10). In seemingly contradictory comments, however, MacDonnell has acknowledged publicly that coyote bounties "don't work to control the population," (CBC News 4.22.10). And there is no scientific evidence that killing coyotes changes the behavior of the coyote's that survive.
At the same time that Nova Scotia has chosen to pursue a coyote bounty, the highly esteemed - Nature Saskatchewan (a provincial affiliate of Nature Canada) passed a groundbreaking resolution on September 26th that explicitly condemns predator bounties as "economically inefficient, counter-productive and ecologically damaging, as demonstrated in various studies throughout the world."
The resolution comes on the heels of a large-scale Saskatchewan government sanctioned bounty that resulted in the killing of at least 71,000 coyotes between November 2009 and March 2010. Saskatchewan's agriculture minister initially defended the bounty as an effective way to reduce coyote populations and agricultural conflicts; this despite the lack of scientific evidence to support his claims. The Ministry was less defensive of the bounty after it shelled out more than $1.4 million dollars to participants and a CBC investigation revealed that coyote body-parts were being laundered in from surrounding provinces. The story, which made national headlines, showed 37 maimed coyote carcasses in an Alberta park with their paws cut off near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Coyote paws were the required body part to obtain the $20 bounty in Saskatchewan.
In a news release issued today by Project Coyote, Dr. Paul Paquet- Scientific Advisory Board member of Project Coyote and Senior Scientist of the
Echoing Dr. Paquet's concerns, Trevor Herriot- Conservation Director of Nature Saskatchewan - said, "We are concerned that the bounty Saskatchewan piloted last year could have wider ecological consequences so we wanted to speak out strongly. This resolution not only acknowledges the critical role coyotes play in maintaining species diversity and ecosystem health but it also makes a clear statement that the conservation of endangered species, and wildlife in general, is dependent on ecological policies that recognize the central role of apex predators - which in today's prairie ecology, is the Coyote. The members and board of Nature Saskatchewan are also concerned that the bounty could be re-instituted or suddenly applied to wolves in the northern half of the province."
Nature Saskatchewan's resolution states, BE IT RESOLVED that Nature Saskatchewan reaffirms its position with the Government of Saskatchewan that it strongly objects to the use of public funds in a bounty program on Coyotes that has the potential to cause serious ecological damage, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Nature Saskatchewan reaffirms its position with the Ministry of Agriculture that predator bounty programs cause both economic and ecological damage in the long run, due to demonstrable ecological principles, and that anti-predator policies, dictated entirely by monocultural economic practices, are incompatible with sound ecological management, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Nature Saskatchewan urge the Government of Saskatchewan to empower the Ministry of Environment to follow its mission of protecting the environment by monitoring predator populations with a wider effort to maintain key ecological and evolutionary processes, particularly in fragmented landscapes such as our remnant grasslands, beginning with an environmental impact study of the "pilot" bounty program of 2009-2010, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Nature Saskatchewan continue to advance Resolution 97-1, recognizing that predation is a key factor shaping ecosystems, and that species at risk are merely components of the ecosystem subject to the ecological processes of predation, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Nature Saskatchewan recognize that decimation of the Coyote in the winter of 2009-2010 is a significantly disruptive ecological event that will have repercussions for wildlife populations, including rodents and species at risk, and that it will undertake to address this issue in its policies and practices, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Nature Saskatchewan encourage the Government of Canada, through the Minister of the Environment, to recognize that the prairies are one ecosystem within Palliser's Triangle, and that endangered species management requires a national ecosystem-based conservation strategy that recognizes the essential role and critical value of the Great Plains Coyote as the remaining apex predator in an altered system.
While Nova Scotia begins what will undoubtedly be an ineffectual coyote slaughter, New Brunswick has publicly declared that it will not enact a coyote bounty stating that, "New Brunswick prefers to let nature to take its course," as reported by the CBC News (4.26.10).
"We have known for decades that random killing of coyotes can actually be counterproductive resulting in increased coyote and rodent populations," Dr. Paquet stated. "Let this progressive resolution passed by Nature Saskatchewan be a wake up call to Nova Scotia and other jurisdictions that bounties and other mass killings of coyotes are ethically indefensible, ecologically reckless, and counter to sound scientific wildlife conservation."
Like lynching, predator bounties are an archaic and brutal thing of the past that have no place in civilized society- especially when it is well documented that they are ineffective and counterproductive. It is time for all to speak out against such unconscionable brutality against wildlife.
Email Minister of Natural Resources John MacDonell at premier@gov.ns.ca and the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture & Heritage and tell them you will not be spending your tourist dollars in Nova Scotia until they stop predator bounties:
Tourism Division
E-mail: tns@gov.ns.ca
Phone: (902) 424-5000
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Follow Camilla Fox on Twitter: www.twitter.com/projectcoyote
Obviously, you are entitled to voice your opinion, but to tell people not to visit Nova Scotia because of it is absolutely ridiculous. I can think of plenty of reasons to not visit the United States, but I still do and I don't go around encouraging others to not visit.
"I've noticed that the media have often mentioned that Taylor was hiking alone when the coyote attack occurred. I want people to know that Taylor was a seasoned naturalist and well versed in wilderness camping. She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity. Tragically it was her time to be taken from us so soon.
We take a calculated risk when spending time in nature's fold — it's the wildlife's terrain. When the decision had been made to kill the pack of coyotes, I clearly heard Taylor's voice say, "please don't, this is their space". She wouldn't have wanted their demise, especially as a result of her own. She was passionate about animals, was an environmentalist, and was also planning to volunteer at the Toronto Wildlife Centre in the coming months.
Her loss is an incomprehensible tragedy on so many levels-- but everybody's messages of love and support and desire to keep her memory and music alive will help me to move forward and honour her short but full and vibrant life.
With love and deep appreciation, Emily Mitchell"
Another reason not to visit Nova Scotia is Dalhousie University. They have killed thousands of dogs, cats, mice over the last decade. There are no laws to protect lab animals.
My wife went to a seminar on Coyote / human interaction. Trapping and shooting tends to boost reproductive rates. We lived in an area of California where coyotes lost all fear and were seen strolling down suburban street s looking for cats. We know when they are around. If you hear one, you know there are more. If you don't run them off, they take it as a welcome sign.
Our strategy now is to:
1) Raise smarter cats
2) Keep livestock behind electric fence. 2000 volts will stop any canine.
3) Bring vulnerable livestock in to the barn at night. I sleep better that way.
4) Keep a loaded BB pistol handy and NEVER be afraid to run off an intruding coyote.
The message is, "You're not welcome here".
5) Pee on your gateposts. (see above)
You can lock and load with hunting rifles all you want - but most people won't see coyotes until they are so bold that they are sitting in your yard waiting for you to get another cat.
That coyote took off like a bolt of lightning.
Since then I've never seen another one, although I can still hear them yipping at night.
We have a very similar problem with raccoons. Since wearing fur is so out of favor, there is no economic incentive for trapping, or eliminating them any other way. Their numbers have grown so large they ran rampant around my farmstead..until I hired someone to trap and kill them. Over 100 a year 3 years in a row. For everyone who boycotts Nova Scotia, there will probably be two people who live in reality that visit the province, I know I would like to.
This isn't the seal hunt, where there are economic reasons (correct or otherwise) invoked to justify killing animals. This is public safety. Frankly I wish we would go further and ban more of the dog breeds that have a track record of killing people, but of course the animal rights crowd cannot possibly accept that the real, natural state of things is for some breeds of animals to routinely kill humans, and that this is something worth preventing.
They are also not indigineous to Nova Scotia. They arrived here 30 to 40 years ago. So it is not we in Nova Scotia who has chosen to live in their home. They have chosen to live in ours. As we must accept the consquences when we encroach on an animals territory, so must they face consequences when they encroach on ours.
Their invasion of our province has also had detrimental impacts on our eco system. Species of animals, such as the Snowshoe Hare, were once plentiful in Nova Scotia. They are near non existant now. Our choice is to cull, not eradicate, the population as your western farmers did with the timberwolf.
As well the province didn't want to have a number of untrained hunters shooting at everything that looked like a coyote; like peoples pet dogs.
They chose instead to train a number of experienced trappers and subsidise the price per pelt to make it economically viable again to trap nuisance coyotes. This is the 'bounty' referred to in the article. IMHO it is a good middle course that will not effect the coyote population in a big way while dealing with the problem of nuisance coyotes in areas where they come in contact with humans.
The Nation Park has chosen to deal with the problem in a slightly different way but hopefully with the same results.
The coyote problem is a real and serious one but pretending it doesn't exist or dealing with it by going to war with an army of untrained hunters is just unwise.
I don't think the situation in Saskatchewan has anything relevant to say about the coyote problem in Nova Scotia.
I hope this helps to clear the air.
As mentioned coyotes in NS have crossed with wolves as they migrated here from out west. They are not only much larger but also have adapted many behaviors of the wolf such as travelling & hunting in packs.
The problem here has evolved over the last decade for a number of reasons but mainly do to increased contact with and growing lack of fear of humans especially in suburban/exurban areas of the province.
A big reason for this was the decline in trapping of problem and aggressive coyotes where they came in regular contact with humans. Until the last few years the price of a coyote belt ranged from $20-$30 and there were a number of people in most communities that did some trapping to make extra money and thus kept the population of problem animals under control.
When over the last few years the price dropped to $10-$15 it became uneconomical to trap the nuisance coyotes and their population increased and they started to get more aggressive in their search for food. The death of a young lady and various other incidents resulted in a call for a bounty to control the population. Unfortunately bounties don't work as when the coyote population drops the remaining animals just breed more thus keeping the population the same over even increasing it somewhat.
This is happening because the coyotes in the East are much larger and have less fear of people than the Western populations. I have even seen many coyotes out in the middle of the day, which is not normal. They are having major affects on deer and livestock populations and are causing safety concerns with thier lack of fear.
The scientific communities need to come together to find a better solution to the problem than these bounty hunts. Some kind of birth control or relocations - something needs to be done.
"The bounty is a great and needed idea. When we lived in Nova Scotia the coyotes had a devastating effect on the deer population. Now it seems some are targeting human prey.
Would the group advocating a tourist boycott agree to funding Nova Scotia starting a live trapping program and transporting the predators to their area?
That would be walking the talk.
Ron Ford
Grand Manan, NB"
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/10/15/ns-coyote-trappers.html#ixzz12XGyd83t