Winter sun lights up this coyotes eyes in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles
January 20, 2025 - 6:00 AM
Coyotes are the most numerous wild dog species in BC and they're well adapted to living in and around urban areas in Kamloops and the Okanagan.
During breeding season, which runs from roughly from late-January to mid-March, and later in spring when their pups are born, coyotes can get more aggressive toward people and pets that get too close to their territory.
Reports to the BC Conservation Officer Service pick up at this time of year when coyotes may perceive on and off leash dogs as a potential threat, according to the WildSafeBC.
It is helpful for pet owners to be more aware of their surroundings when out on walks and hikes, and avoid areas where coyotes are known to be active.
Coyotes will mark and defend their territories, and yip and howl to announce their presence.
A mating pair will produce an average of five pups that are born in April to mid-May in dens dug into the soil. Both parents tend to the pups who will leave the den at four to five months old.
A pair of coyotes are spotted in the Kamloops area in January.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles
A little over one metre long including their tails and weighing roughly 50 pounds, coyotes have bushy black tipped tail they carry facing downward. They are smaller than wolves with slimmer, pointier muzzles, tall ears and long legs.
Coyotes are most active at dusk or dawn when the hunt alone or in pairs, however they are often spotted during the day leaping into the air and pouncing on small prey they can locate in grass or snow with their superior senses of smell, hearing and sight.
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According to WildSafe BC, anyone faced with an aggressive coyote should make themselves appear large, maintain eye contact with the animal and back away slowly.
Throwing rocks or objects into the animal’s facility or deterring it with bear spray are also recommended.
Area photographers were able to capture stunning photos of coyotes this winter.
If you have amazing wildlife photos to share, send them to news@infonews.ca.
A lone coyote hunts in the Kamloops grasslands in December.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Peter Olsen
This small pack of coyotes was photographed in near Okanagan Falls in January.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Penny Eadie
This fall a West Kelowna photographer captured this coyote while visiting the Oliver area.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Dean Pratley
A coyote poses in the snow in the Kamloops area in winter.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Darrel Frolek
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