Stop taking selfies with coyotes, says Ahuntsic-Cartierville mayor after attacks

It's people's new tendency to cozy up tocoyotes which needs to be eliminated, not the animals themselves,says Ahuntsic-Cartiervilleborough Mayor milieThuillier after recent high-profile attacks by the wild creatures.

Last Friday night, and again on Saturday, a youngchild in the borough was bitten in the leg by a coyote. Both children weretaken to hospital with minor injuries.

Thuilliersaid people need to yell when they see a coyote, not feed them or give them water from their water bottle something she said is known to happen.

"Don't try to approach them to take a selfie," she told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.

She echoed what Montreal Mayor Valrie Plante said Mondaythat there's no eradicating coyotes from Montreal because they've been here for 40 years.

Thuillier said the borough is working to trap what it believes are one or two problem coyotes that areattacking people.

Once identified and trapped, thosecoyotes will be euthanized, Thuillier said.

3-year-old bitten

That isn't good enough for some residents who think the borough and city should take a more aggressive approach.

Carlo D'Anello lives across the street from ParcdesHirondelles, where one of the children,a three-year-old boy, was bitten in the leg last weekend.

He said he won't let his children, seven and nine, play in the park alone anymore.

Despite the borough saying that only a few coyotes are causing a problem, the sight of any of them terrifiesresidents now.

D'Anello said he was crossing the street with his kids recently when a coyote appeared near a house.

"Everyone started screaming," he said.

He's since started a petition to demand Montreal take action.

"Do something more than what the city is doing now," he said. "The only point at which the city will do something is if a child dies."

Montreal's official opposition agreesthat Plante needs to get tough oncoyotes.

"In choosing cohabitation with these wild animals, Projet Montral's administration refuses to assume its responsibilities and ensure the safety of the most vulnerable people," Ensemble Montral leader Lionel Perez said.

He suggests getting police to patrol the area, trapping and relocating the animals, and imposing fines on people who feed them.