A Georgian Bluffs family sadly lost a pet last week in Brooke, close to the northwest corner of Owen Sound, and the township has some tips for us all in keeping our neighbourhoods safer from wildlife.

Coyotes are hunting closer to human activity as winter approaches and their food sources in the bush and fields become scarcer.

*****

Following a fatal attack on a pet in the Brooke neighbourhood of Georgian Bluffs earlier this week, the Township would like to advise residents to be on the lookout for coyote activity, and to take extra care when pets are outdoors.

You can help keep your neighbourhood safe by:

• Ensuring trash is covered, and that any pet food is kept indoors.
• Never feeding wildlife, and removing fallen fruit from yards and gardens.
• Always supervising your pets when outdoors, following leash laws, and keeping pets under your care and control at all times.
• If you see a coyote, do not approach it. Stay calm, make yourself look as large as you can, and make noise. Coyotes are common wildlife in this area, but generally avoid human contact.

If a wild animal is causing an immediate threat to public safety, contact the OPP at 519-794-7827.

*****

source: media release, Township of Georgian Bluffs; photo: stock image, PixaBay