The City of Burlington has set up barricades this week at Paletta Lakefront Park warning visitors of a coyote den that has apparently been spotted along the trails.
Since Monday, two sightings of a mother and her five pups have been reported, said Tracey Burrows, the city’s manager of bylaw enforcement.
City officials erected barricades on the trails that lead down to the waterfront at the park. Crews posted signs that say park users who walk the trails do so at their own risk.
“We’re just making sure that we do our due diligence in ensuring the safety of the public,” said Burrows.
She said the signs will be up for the "foreseeable future," until the pups leave their mother and set up somewhere else — a process that, she said, can take up to four months.
Coyotes generally avoid contact with humans, said Burrows. But if the mother is afraid for the safety of her young, she may charge a human passerby.
If you spot a coyote, “make yourself appear large and loud. And don’t run away” so the mother doesn’t mistake you for a stealthy predator.
“They don’t like us, so they would just be perhaps looking at you,” she said.
“And if you have a pet, make sure that it’s on a leash.”