coyotes

Hidden Cruelty: Speaking Out Against Penned Dog Hunts in Ontario

By Kodkod | Coyote Pretty

There are still places in Canada where foxes, coyotes, and rabbits are locked inside fenced enclosures—not to be rehabilitated or protected, but to be hunted for sport.

In these penned hunting facilities, dogs are released to chase, terrorize, and often kill wild animals that have no way to escape. Hunters call it “training.” But investigations show the truth: it’s bloodsport. It’s cruelty. And it’s still happening.

Recently, Animal Justice filed a lawsuit against the Ontario government, challenging the issuance of three illegal licences that appear to allow penned hunting facilities to operate in violation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. These licenses permit the use of large hound breeds—such as foxhounds, coonhounds, and bloodhounds—to chase red foxes for “training” and competitions, despite clear regulations that prohibit this unless strict conditions are met. None of the three sites in question meet the legal pen size requirements.

An undercover investigation in 2023 by Animal Justice revealed that wild animals used as bait are routinely injured, mauled, and killed. Pen owners have admitted to replenishing wildlife throughout the year—foxes and coyotes caught and used again and again.

Worse still, no inspections have been conducted at these facilities for at least two years. The system is broken—and these animals are paying the price.

Ontario remains the only province in Canada that still allows this practice. Even most U.S. states have banned it.

This is not just a wildlife issue—it’s an animal cruelty crisis.

📣 Read more about the lawsuit and investigation: https://animaljustice.ca/media-releases/animal-justice-sues-ontario-over-cruel-penned-dog-hunting-licences

🧡 If you’re able, please support Animal Justice’s court battle here: https://animaljustice.ca/donate

Coyotes and foxes deserve better than this. So do the dogs forced to become weapons.

#CoyotePretty #AnimalJustice #StopPennedHunts #Coexistence

Dr. Stanley D. Gehrt, a renowned wildlife ecologist, has dedicated over two decades to studying urban coyotes, particularly through the Urban Coyote Research Project based in the Chicago metropolitan area. His book, Coyotes Among Us, co-authored with Kerry Luft, provides an in-depth look into how these adaptable predators have seamlessly integrated into urban environments across North America.

Key Insights from Coyotes Among Us:

Adaptability in Urban Landscapes: Gehrt’s research reveals that coyotes have not only survived but thrived in urban settings, utilizing green spaces such as cemeteries, golf courses, and airport grounds. These areas offer minimal human disturbance and abundant resources, making them ideal habitats for coyotes.

Human-Wildlife Coexistence: The book emphasizes the importance of understanding and coexisting with urban coyotes. Gehrt dispels common myths and highlights the ecological benefits coyotes bring, such as controlling rodent populations.

Behavioral Observations: Through detailed observations, Gehrt showcases the complex social structures and behaviors of coyotes, challenging the negative perceptions often associated with them.

Dr. Gehrt’s Contributions Beyond the Book:

Educational Outreach: Gehrt actively shares his findings through public talks and presentations, aiming to educate communities about urban coyotes and promote harmonious coexistence.

Research Leadership: As the Principal Investigator of the Urban Coyote Research Project, Gehrt continues to lead studies that deepen our understanding of how coyotes adapt to urban environments.

For those interested in delving deeper into Dr. Gehrt’s work and insights, the following presentation offers a comprehensive overview:

Two young coyotes rested quietly on a sunlit fairway at Ottawa Park Golf Course, unfazed as golfers passed nearby. (Photo by Tom Names)

National Coyote Day

Today marks the 7th and final day of Coyote Awareness Week, and fittingly, it’s also National Coyote Day in the U.S. There’s no better time to mention how incredibly family-oriented coyotes are.

Coyotes: Loyal Mates, Devoted Parents

Coyotes form lifelong bonds. In over 10 years of tracking urban coyotes in Chicago, wildlife biologist Dr. Stanley Gehrt never observed a single instance of cheating between mated pairs. These animals stick together, co-parent their pups, and create tight-knit family units.

Both mom and dad share parenting duties equally. While the mother stays close to the den nursing the pups, the father works hard to bring back food and protect the territory. They also teach their pups how to hunt and survive in the wild. And if tragedy strikes? Coyotes adapt. In one of Dr. Gehrt’s studies, when a coyote mother died, the father took over full-time parenting, raising the pups on his own — a rare trait in the wild.

Adoption and Compassion in the Wild

Coyotes also have strong maternal and paternal instincts, so strong that they sometimes take in pups that aren’t even their own. In one remarkable case, Gehrt and his team found two different litters sharing a single den — one unrelated to the primary coyote pair. Whether it’s adopting orphaned pups or allowing older siblings to help with the next litter, coyotes prove time and again that their family bonds go beyond blood.

A Vulnerability Exploited

Ironically, it’s this deep sense of care that has made coyotes vulnerable to certain hunting practices. Hunters have been known to use distress calls mimicking yelping or crying pups to lure adult coyotes into traps or shooting range. It’s a heartbreaking tactic — one that depends entirely on the coyote’s instinct to protect and respond to family in need 😔

A Sacred Presence

Beyond their role in the wild, coyotes hold a deep spiritual significance for many Indigenous cultures across North America — the only continent they call home. Often seen as tricksters, teachers, and guides in Native storytelling, coyotes represent transformation, adaptability, and the balance between light and shadow.

To some, the coyote is a symbol of resilience — of laughing in the face of hardship, of finding creative ways to survive. In shamanic traditions, the coyote can appear in dreams or visions as a messenger, nudging us to see things differently or embrace change with a curious heart.

As we celebrate National Coyote Day, let’s not only honor the coyote’s role in the ecosystem — but also their sacred place in the spirit and story of this land.



How You Can Celebrate National Coyote Day

If you’re feeling inspired by these incredible animals, there are a few simple ways you can show your appreciation and compassion for coyotes today — and every day:

  • Learn and Share: Spread awareness about the true nature of coyotes — as loyal mates, nurturing parents, and essential parts of healthy ecosystems. The more people know, the more they care.
  • Respect Their Space: If you live in or near coyote territory, give them space and avoid feeding them. Coexistence starts with understanding boundaries.
  • Support Ethical Wildlife Policies: Advocate for humane and science-based wildlife management in your community. Oppose inhumane hunting practices that exploit coyote family bonds.
  • Celebrate Online: Post your favorite coyote facts, stories, or artwork on social media using hashtags like #CoyoteAwarenessWeek or #NationalCoyoteDay to help shift the narrative around these misunderstood animals.
  • Connect with Local Wildlife Groups: Support or volunteer with organizations that work on coyote conservation and urban wildlife education.

Coyotes are more than clever survivors — they’re caretakers, communicators, and contributors to the wild world around us. Today’s a great day to honor them with a little kindness, curiosity, and respect.

Happy National Coyote Day!

Day 6 of Coyote Awareness Week

Coyotes Mate for Life

It’s Day 6 of Coyote Awareness Week, and today we’re shining a light on one of the most heartwarming things about coyotes: they’re incredibly loyal lovers.

Coyotes, native to North America, are famous for their adaptability, but what often flies under the radar is their deep commitment to their partners. Once they pair up, they usually stay together for life—hunting, raising pups, and sticking by each other’s side through thick and thin. During mating season, the male practices mate guarding, staying close to his partner to ensure their bond stays strong.

Researchers have seen this play out time and time again. A study from Ohio State University found, “We found no evidence of polygamy, either for males or females… Coyotes are monogamous—even when given the opportunity to cheat.”

Wildlife biologist Stan Gehrt explains why that loyalty matters: “Unlike the males of polygamous species, a male coyote knows that every one of those pups is his offspring and has a clear genetic stake in helping them survive.”

Even more touching, some coyote pairs stay together for a decade or more. “We’ve been able to follow some of these alpha pairs through time, and we’ve had some of them stay together for up to 10 years,” Gehrt said. And as researcher Hennessy put it, “They separate only upon the death of one of the individuals, so they truly adhere to that philosophy, ‘Till death do us part.’”

So next time you hear a coyote howl under the stars, it might just be one half of a ride-or-die.

Coyotes: clever, committed, and romantic.

Day 5 of Coyote Awareness Week

Why Coyote Relocation Does More Harm Than Good

Coyotes are often misunderstood creatures, and when they show up in urban or suburban areas, people sometimes assume the best solution is to trap and relocate them. It sounds like a humane choice—move the animal to a safer, more “natural” place—but in reality, relocation often causes more harm than good.

Coyotes Know Their Home Best

Like most wildlife, coyotes establish territories based on food availability, shelter, and social dynamics. When a coyote is removed from its home range, it’s suddenly thrown into unfamiliar surroundings. It has to compete with other coyotes for resources, find new shelter, and avoid new dangers. Many relocated coyotes struggle to survive and often don’t make it.

The Empty Space Doesn’t Stay Empty

Nature doesn’t like a vacuum. Removing a coyote from its territory doesn’t solve the “problem” people are trying to fix. Instead, it creates an open spot that other coyotes will eventually move into. This can actually increase local coyote activity, as younger, less-experienced animals take over the space and may be less cautious around humans.

The Humane Alternative: Coexistence

The best way to handle coyotes is to allow them to remain in their established territories while using simple coexistence strategies. Securing garbage, keeping pets indoors at night, and using humane deterrents can prevent conflicts without disrupting the natural balance. Over time, resident coyotes help keep populations stable and maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Coyotes aren’t the enemy—they’re simply trying to survive. Relocating them often leads to suffering and unintended consequences. Instead of removing them, understanding their role and making small changes can lead to peaceful coexistence. Nature has a way of balancing itself if we just let it.

🌕🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🌕

This is coyote 434 from the Urban Coyote Research project.

The Reality of Relocation

The Urban Coyote Research Project studied relocated coyotes and found that they don’t stay where they’re released. Instead, they try to return to their original territory—often with tragic results.

“Although the primary objectives of the Cook County Coyote Project did not involve relocating coyotes, we did monitor 12 relocated nuisance (or rehabilitated) coyotes from the city of Chicago to document their movements and fates. We found that no relocated coyotes remained at their release site despite being located in favorable coyote habitat (usually they were gone within 48 hours or less), and each of them traveled in the general direction of their origin. No coyotes made successful returns, and most were killed by cars or hunters as they left the release site.” — Urban Coyote Research Project

This study reinforces why relocation isn’t the answer. Instead of removing coyotes, the best approach is to let them stay in their established territories and use simple coexistence strategies to avoid conflicts. In the long run, it’s better for the animals—and for us.

Day 4 of Coyote Awareness Week

This is a passage from the book Coyote America by Dan Flores.

Bright Lights, Big Cities

Photo by Johanna Turner


If it seems counter intuitive that a predator like a coyote would find life in town to be fat-city, consider this additional evidence; in rural Illinois, where residents shoot, trap, and harass coyotes, only 13 percent of coyote pups survive to maturity. In the Chicago metropolitan area, a whopping 61 percent of coyote pups survive to adulthood. Like human adolescents, male coyote pups are always the most at-risk pack members. the easiest to trap or poison or shoot. But in town young male coyotes tend to survive at the same rate as females.

In fact, only in preserved wildlands like national parks does coyote survivability compare to what coyotes experience in cities. For a twenty-first century coyote, town life is pretty obviously the good life, especially compared to the dangers of rural America. We’re going to have to start imagining cities as twenty-first-century coyote preserves in much the way national parks were in the twentieth century.



If you want to buy this amazing book, click here for US customers or here for Canadian customers.

Today is Day 3 of Coyote Awareness Week

The Nashville Coyote

The Nashville Coyote album and film.

This is the album cover ^^^^

The Tracklist

1. Talkin’ Blues

2. Goin’ Where The Rails Go

3. Before I Met You

4. Hanging On the Fringe of Music City

5. Coyote Blues

6. You Can’t Go In the Red Playin’ Bluegrass

7. That Little Tune

8. The Last Longhorn

9. Goin’ Back

10. Down In Nashville, Tennessee

The Nashville Coyote film aired on October 1, 1972. Directed by Winston Hibler.

A surprised coyote stowaway on a freight train ends up in Nashville where he meets a friendly beagle and an aspiring songwriter. The songwriter is unable to sell his songs, so he returns to California, taking the coyote back to his desert home. Stars Walter Forbes, William Garton, Eugene Scott, Michael Edwards. Narrated by Mayf Nutter.

^^^You can watch the movie here.

Day 2 of Coyote Awareness Week!

Meet Ricky Bobby

This little guy was adopted by another coyote named Weave. Ricky Bobby was most likely orphaned and Weave saved him.

The little coyote named Ricky Bobby eventually went back to the wild in late Sept 2024.

If you would to see more of Weave the coyote, head over to Timmy Mc.

Why killing coyotes doesn’t work

When coyotes are killed, especially adults, the remaining coyotes often increase their reproductive rates to compensate for the loss. Females may have more pups in the next breeding season, or the surviving pack members may breed earlier or more frequently. This “compensatory reproduction” is a well-documented phenomenon in many animal species when their numbers are reduced by hunting or trapping.

Coyotes live in complex social structures, with dominant alpha pairs leading packs. When these dominant members are killed, other members of the pack may step up to take their place, and in some cases, subdominant coyotes may breed more. This can lead to increased reproductive output and larger litters of pups.

Coyotes are territorial animals, and when one coyote is removed from an area, it creates a “vacuum” that other coyotes quickly fill. New coyotes moving into the area may breed quickly and produce more offspring to establish their territory. This territorial replacement can contribute to a rise in coyote numbers in a given region.

If coyotes are killed in one area, coyotes from nearby regions may migrate into the area to replace those lost. These newcomers may breed and repopulate the area even faster than the original population.

In nature, species like coyotes fulfill an important ecological role in regulating other populations (e.g., rodents, rabbits, etc.). Removing coyotes can upset this balance, potentially leading to overpopulation of prey species. The increased numbers of prey may, in turn, attract more coyotes from nearby areas, ultimately leading to no net reduction in the overall population.

Sustainable, non-lethal management methods are more effective in controlling coyote numbers.

Today is Day 1 of Coyote Awareness Week!

Coyotes (Canis latrans) play a significant role in both society and ecosystems.

Coyotes are apex predators and help regulate populations of small mammals, birds, and insects, which in turn helps control pests that could otherwise become overabundant, such as rodents (e.g., rats and mice).


Coyotes are also opportunistic scavengers. They contribute to the breakdown of organic material by feeding on carcasses, helping to recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.


By controlling populations of prey species, coyotes indirectly support the diversity of plant and animal life, as they help prevent overgrazing or depletion of plant species by herbivores.


Coyotes have demonstrated an impressive ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats, from rural wilderness areas to urban environments. This adaptability makes them a crucial part of many ecosystems, helping to keep certain species in check, even as human expansion alters their environment.


Coyotes help regulate populations of animals like deer, rodents, and smaller carnivores (e.g., foxes and raccoons). This is important because unchecked populations of these species could result in overgrazing, damage to crops, or the spread of diseases like Lyme disease from ticks.


In ecosystems where larger predators like wolves have been extirpated, coyotes often fill that ecological niche, acting as a stabilizing force in the absence of larger carnivores.


Coyotes are highly important both for their role in ecosystems and in society. They contribute to biodiversity, pest control, and nutrient recycling, and they also have cultural, educational, and symbolic value. While human-wildlife interactions with coyotes can be complex, they are generally beneficial to the health of natural systems.


“Totem #19: Stacked Coyotes, Desert Dusk” by wildlife artist Andrew Denman. Click here to learn more about this piece.

Coyotes & Golden Jackals

Pair of coyotes, photograph by Sean Crane

Coyotes (canis latrans) and golden jackals (canis aureus) share several intriguing similarities, especially in terms of their adaptability and ability to expand their territories in response to environmental changes.

Both species have demonstrated impressive resilience and resourcefulness, allowing them to thrive in a variety of habitats.

Some similarities between coyotes and golden jackals that might explain their territorial expansion.

Adaptability to Changing Environments

Both coyotes and golden jackals are incredibly adaptable animals. They have learned to live in a variety of environments, from rural areas and agricultural lands to urban spaces.

This ability to adjust to different landscapes, food sources, and climate conditions is one of the main reasons they’ve been able to expand their territories.

Coyotes have been able to adapt to urbanization in North America, living in cities and suburbs, where they find ample food sources such as rodents and garbage. This flexibility has allowed them to push further into areas previously dominated by humans.

Golden jackals have also shown remarkable adaptability. They’ve expanded their range from their native regions in Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, moving into Southeastern Europe, and now even Central Europe, likely due to the availability of food and less competition from larger predators.

Opportunistic Diet

Both species are opportunistic omnivores, meaning they can survive on a wide variety of food. This flexibility in diet enables them to thrive in changing environments, particularly where other animals may struggle.

Coyotes will eat small mammals, fruits, birds, insects, and even plants, making them highly adaptable to different environments. Their ability to scavenge human food also helps them survive in urban settings.

Golden jackals also have a varied diet, feeding on everything from small mammals and birds to fruit and even carrion. In fact, like coyotes, they are known to scavenge from human settlements when necessary.

Expansion into New Territories

Both species have been able to expand their ranges due to human-induced changes in the environment. As human development spreads, they move into new areas where resources are available, often without much competition from larger predators.

Coyotes expanded their range significantly in the 20th century, moving from the western United States to all parts of North America, even as far as Central America. Their ability to avoid conflict with other predators like wolves and their skill in adjusting to urban environments contributed to this expansion.

Golden jackals, once confined to parts of Asia and Africa, have expanded into new regions in Europe and are now found in places like Greece, Croatia, and even the Balkans.

Some researchers believe their range expansion has been driven by factors such as climate change, loss of natural predators, and the availability of food from human settlements.

Social Structure and Behavior

Both coyotes and golden jackals are known for their social structures. They live in small family units or packs, which helps them effectively hunt and defend territory.

Coyotes are often seen alone or in small family groups. They are highly social within their packs and have complex communication systems to hunt together and protect territory.

Golden jackals also live in family units and are highly social animals. They are known for hunting in pairs or small groups, and their ability to cooperate in groups helps them exploit food sources in both rural and urban areas.

Ability to Coexist with Humans

Both species have developed an unusual ability to coexist with humans, at least to a degree. While some conflict may occur, especially in rural or agricultural areas, both species have shown that they can adapt to human presence and even benefit from human waste or food.

Coyotes have found ways to live in urban areas, where they may roam through parks, neighborhoods, and even city streets. Their ability to adapt to human spaces has allowed them to thrive despite their growing population.

Golden jackals are less commonly found in urban spaces compared to coyotes, but their range expansion into human-dominated landscapes, including agricultural regions, shows they are similarly able to adjust to human environments.

Resourceful and Resilient

Both coyotes and golden jackals are incredibly resilient species. They are survivors, able to deal with challenges such as predators, environmental changes, and food scarcity.

Coyotes have dealt with the eradication efforts made against them in the past and are now one of the most widespread carnivores in North America.

Golden jackals have successfully expanded their range despite the challenges of living alongside human populations, showing their resilience in the face of threats such as habitat loss and competition with larger carnivores.

Challenges of Expanding Territories

While both species are incredibly resourceful and adaptable, their expansion into new territories isn’t always without conflict.

Coyotes often encounter competition with larger predators like wolves or mountain lions, which can limit their ability to expand into certain regions.

Golden jackals face competition from wolves in Europe, which can restrict their movements in some areas, but they are still thriving in places where wolves are less common.

The similarities between coyotes and golden jackals highlight their incredible adaptability, resourcefulness, and ability to thrive in changing environments. Their ability to expand their territories despite human development and increased competition shows how these species are able to adjust to new challenges and continue to flourish.

Their success in new environments could also be seen as a testament to their resilience and intelligence, which enables them to carve out niches in landscapes where other animals may struggle.

A golden jackal