Woman injured in latest coyote attack in Stanley Park
This recent Vancouver Sun headline immediately caught my eye as we had scheduled a trek through the park. Additional research revealed that a number of coyote/human contacts had occurred in Stanley Park and not ended well for either humans or Coyotes as stated in this Time Colonist headline
Four coyotes euthanized after toddler bitten during walk in Vancouver's Stanley Park
Over the years it has been our sacred belief that “urban trekking” was a safe and stress free source of adventure free from preditors especially in city parks all though before dusk. They were high on our list of safe places to roam. The dangers that now lurk in Stanley Park have some what shaken this belief. Not to be deterred, we decided to continue on with our planned trek. Perhaps the headlines were embellished.
Photo: Global News
A decision to pack bear spray was considered after a futile attempt to find and purchase “coyote spray”. We did find a product called “Coyote Piss” but it is an odorific used to scare foraging deer away from your flower garden and not to be worn as a perfumed deterrent for coyote attacks. Our thoughts were, if bear spray will scare a bear away, it should be enough to shoo a coyote. Our next question “Could bear spray be legally carried in Vancouver parks?” was answered by this headline from the Vancouver sun.
It seems that we were to go hiking unarmed.
We began the 10 kilometre journey from Lumberman’s Arch. A log arch structure that was first erected in 1912 at Pender and Hamilton Streets, to honour a visit by the then Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught, son of Queen Victoria and was relocated to the park in 1913.
We chose this as our starting point as Stanley Park is pet friendly and what dog wouldn’t take the opportunity to urinate on this big hunk of wood. Coyotes are a closely related species so a bladder full coyote might want to hang out here. Not today.
Our route through the Park was the iconic Stanley Park sea wall, well marked with separate paths for bikes walkers and coyotes. Despite the dangers, the park was very busy. The path has great views of Burrard Inlet attracting unwitting tourists.
Lots of container ships today waiting their turn to load raw goods like sulphur and the much loathed Tar Sands oil.
A busy park meant lots of tempting coyote prey. This played well into our strategy for protecting ourselves against any foraging coyotes. The plan was to ensure we were surrounded by tourists, specifically those who looked weaker and slower than us. We wore our running shoes so should we be stalked by coyotes, we could out run those slower, weaker Croc wearing tourists.
The half way point of our hike was Siwash Rock, one of the many scenic photo ops to be found in Stanley Park. The rock was created by burning hot magma from a nearby volcano and forced upwards through a crack in the Earth’s surface creating this interesting stack of basalt. The shape of the rock caught the attention of the local indigenous population, the Squamish who wove a family friendly creation history around the rock. Alas no coyotes yet.
Third Beach, Second Beach passed us by again nary a sign of coyotes. We found various piles of excrement evident here and there but neither Nonie nor I are conversant in Coyote scat but were suspicious that what we were seeing was actually left by indifferent and inconsiderate dog owners.
Photo: coyoteyipps.com
As we reached the popular beach at English Bay, we found the remnants of a whale carcass that could possibly have been picked clean by coyotes. Perhaps it was lucky that we did not come across a Stanley Park Coyote.
Feeling less invincible, we decided to exit the park into the equally wild West End of Vancouver. No coyotes here just aggressive vendors hawking Vancouver souvenirs and quite possibly rabid as one seemed to be foaming at the mouth. On a closer look, it was actually residual foam from a venti Starbucks latte. Inukshuks seemed to be the hot seller.
With not a single coyote sighted, obtaining a trapper’s license for Stanley Park seemed it might be a waste of time.
Photo: CBC News
So it was back to Penticton and our post COVID19 life or more fearfully a pre COVID19 4th wave lockdown.
For God sake people, get the frigging vaccine.
