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May 21, 2013 - 12:31 PM
The hunt is on for a coyote that bit a man in Kamloops early this morning.
Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said the call came in around 12:48 a.m. of the incident at Silver Sage RV Trailer Park & Campground.
"A male called in a report that one of the campers staying at the RV Park in the 7700 block of Athabasca Street East was bit," Learned said.
He said RCMP don't frequently hear of coyote bites within the city limits.
"This animal might be quite habituated," he said.
RCMP notified the conservation office who arrived on scene earlier today.
"We do have officers out there in that area right now and they're trying to locate the offending coyote," said Doug Forsdick, inspector of Conservation Services, Kamloops.
Forsdick said witnesses reported seeing a coyote in the area for at least a week.
"It has been displaying quite unusual behaviour," Forsdick said.
He said the coyote is unafraid of approaching humans - unusual because coyotes are typically wary of humans.
"Quite often what will happen is if a coyote has been fed by humans, they'll slowly start to lose their fear of humans," Forsdick said.
Conservation officers will continue to search for the animal until they are sure it has moved on or it has been captured and killed.
"Our first priority is always going to be public safety," he said.
There are many coyotes in the Kamloops area.
"Normally they're not a problem," Forsdick said. "Normally we can coexist with them."
Forsdick recommends keeping distance from any wild animals and preventing them from coming arrive by keeping attractants such as food and pets clear of any area they may be found.
The Kamloops area is known to have a variety of wildlife including bears, deer, mountain goats as well as coyotes.
Those who encounter habituated wildlife can contact the Conservation Services Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
"If there's a coyote that's displaying odd behaviour, we would certainly appreciate a call."
To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 319-7494.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013