Coyote seen roaming downtown Toronto near Queens Quay

The City of Toronto says it’s aware of a coyote spotted roaming the streets near the city’s Harbourfront neighbourhood.

On Monday, videos and photos began circulating online showing a full-grown coyote walking closer to the lake near Queens Quay West.

No injuries were reported. One Toronto resident said she’s not alarmed by the presence of coyotes.

“They have been in the neighbourhood forever,” she told CityNews on Monday. “They have been living here for a long time, I am not concerned.”

Another resident told CityNews they spotted another coyote around 12 p.m. on Sunday roaming at Glenholme Avenue and Rogers Road that was lingering for over an hour.

A city spokesperson acknowledged the sighting, noting that coyotes are typically more active in January and February due to mating season.

“Toronto Animal Services (TAS) has confirmed that they have received sighting reports of a coyote at Queens Quay,” TAS said in an email to CityNews.

“Coyotes have long been a natural part of Toronto’s urban landscape, and they are an important part of the ecosystem as they help to control rodent and rabbit populations. They thrive in urban areas because of the abundance of food and shelter available to them.”

TAS said it’s considered normal for residents to see or encounter more coyotes in parks and green spaces across Toronto as they begin their search for a possible mate.

“They are typically shy and timid in nature and generally do not pose a danger to people, but can pose a danger for small pets,” TAS noted. “Interactions with coyotes were the result of a nearby, regular food source, primarily from people leaving food out or garbage behind in parks.”

Animal services cautioned that feeding coyotes might cause the wild animals to expect food from people, becoming conditioned to approach closer for a food reward, and creating problems for wildlife and city neighbourhoods.