Two of the dogs attacked by coyotes, Thursday July 9.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Kristin Simkins
July 10, 2020 - 5:31 PM
Four dogs and their owners fought off eight coyotes in Kamloops yesterday in a terrifying incident on a hiking trail.
On Thursday at around 11 a.m., Kristin Simkins was walking a familiar path at the end of Howe Road in Aberdeen with four large-breed dogs, two of which belonged to her friend.
"Two of the dogs started barking, they veered off and I lost sight of them," she said.
When one returned, Simkins saw two coyotes in pursuit.
"They started to come towards me and the three dogs," she said.
"I started screaming at them at the top of my lungs, and immediately they started yipping."
Two of the dogs attacked by coyotes in Kamloops, July 9.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Kristin Simkins
The coyotes continued to approach baring their teeth, putting Simkins' dogs in protection mode.
"They went and chased both the coyotes," she said. "I went running down the hill to get my dogs back, and I called my friend."
Simkins' friend Shantelle Copper and her partner Jordan Foster live nearby, so they quickly came to help out.
"She found my lab being bitten and attacked by two of the coyotes, and she tried to throw sticks and rocks at them," Simkins said. "They stopped fighting my dog and they came after her and bit her."
Injuries sustained by Shantelle Copper after rescuing dogs from coyotes, July 9.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Kristin Simkins
Injuries sustained by Shantelle Copper after rescuing dogs from coyotes, July 9.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Kristin Simkins
Copper was able to free herself from the coyotes and returned Simkins' lab to her before going to find her own dogs.
She found one, and Foster found the other farther along the trail.
"He found the dog and it was being swarmed by six coyotes," Simkins said.
The coyotes had bitten the dog and tried to bite Foster before pursuing them for a distance as they ran away.
Fortunately, the dogs' injuries were very minor.
Simkins filed a report with a local Conservation Officer, who told her it was pup season.
“If people are walking by and going close to a denning site, they’re pretty protective, especially if dogs are off-leash and running around," Central Okanagan Conservation Officer Wayne Murdock told iNFOnews.ca. "If a dog is on a leash, there’s less chance of an encounter from happening.”
Reports of wildlife conflicts are up around 300 per cent overall, Murdock said.
READ MORE: Cat carcasses found in Kelowna killed by predators, not humans: SPCA
As to why that is, he can’t say. With COVID-19, people may be spending more time in the forest and at home, which could lead to more calls, he said.
He added that if you attract a coyote, be aggressive, wave your arms and pick up your pets.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Brie Welton or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2020