by Jacqui Birchall
(click images to enlarge)

COYOTES IN STANLEY PARK
Aggression During COVID Lockdown

Nathan C. Lewis, a doctoral candidate at UBC’s dept of Zoology, has recently released a chapter on his thesis regarding coyotes in urban areas. The published chapter researched coyote aggression and behaviour in Stanley Park during the COVID lockdowns, from March 2020 to August 2021.

**Doctoral Candidate Nathan Lewis.** *(photo courtesy of Ainsley Robertson)*

Lewis reports that during this time period, there were 45 attacks involving bites or scratches, 63 non-contact signs of aggression, “when a coyote aggressively advances or displays aggressive body language towards a person (e.g. lunging, snarling, baring teeth, raising hackles) but does not initiate physical contact;” and 437 reported sightings. Readers may remember that Stanley Park Ecology hosted a website where the public could report the time and location of coyote sightings.

Of the 45 reported attacks, Lewis confirmed the age group and sex of 39: 23 adult males, 12 adult females, and four children under the age of 10, a typical breakdown of Stanley Park visitors.

I asked Lewis about the veracity of the numbers. He felt that the numbers regarding children were reliable, as parents sought medical care for their children. He feels that there could be more adult victims, who perhaps did not report or seek medical care, as perhaps they were in the park after hours.

**Stanley park coyote peeking through the foliage.**

Of those who were bitten or nipped at, ten were walking, 20 were running, and one was on a scooter. No victims reported being with dogs at the time of the attack.

Lewis reports that “runners and those physically distanced from other people were more likely to be attacked than expected by chance based on human activity patterns measured in 2024, but there was no evidence that victim age, gender, or presence of a dog influenced the likelihood of an attack occurring. These results support our hypotheses that habituation, den defence, and predatory opportunism contributed to the increase in coyote aggression towards humans in Stanley Park in 2020—2021, but we did not find quantitative support for the role of food conditioning.”

In the ten years preceding the attacks, there was only one reported coyote attack in Stanley Park. What changed?

Lewis’ very detailed research shows how the lockdown led people to seek respite in open spaces. The park filled.

Coyotes that were used to being alone during the early morning and post-sunset hunting hours were suddenly faced with humans at all hours. Day after day, hour after hour, even after dark, humans filled the park. And research shows that some of them began feeding the coyotes.

Some coyotes appear to have become food-conditioned. I remember during this period, Park Rangers reported to me that large pieces of raw chicken were being found around the park. Lewis reports that “anecdotal evidence from the Conservation Officer Service, who reported that coyotes approached them within arm's length if they shook a bag of food, suggests our measures did not capture the food conditioning that occurred, which may or may not have been associated with garbage bins and picnic areas. Moreover, several attack victims reported that the coyotes showed no fear of humans and stayed nearby after the aggressive encounter had ended, as if they were waiting for food.” The day after the park reopened following the cull, COS arrested a couple in the park with large bags of dog food in their car.

This chapter from Nathan C Lewis’ doctoral thesis (see Related Links below) includes much more than I have covered here.

**Do not approach, do not feed. let them be.**

Since the cull, the coyotes are very shy and hard to spot. I used to see coyotes regularly on the trails, and now I don’t. After the pandemic lockdown, Stanley Park Ecology started a project on aversion conditioning, using loud noises, shaking cans, etc., to restore the coyotes’ natural fear of humans. Education has increased, thanks largely to Stanley Park Ecology and the Vancouver Park Board. Many signs in Stanley Park warn of dens and remind people that feeding wildlife is illegal.

Peace has returned to Stanley Park. The coyotes first arrived in the park in the 1980s. Many public protestations that they are not indigenous and should be removed come from uninformed opinions. In an interview, Lewis shared that coyotes are here to stay and that, historically, efforts to rid communities of coyotes have always failed. Humans, Lewis emphasizes, have to learn to co-habit with wildlife, not destroy it.

Stay tuned for more chapters on urbanized coyotes as Lewis publishes them.

AQUARIUM MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE

In late July, I was lucky enough to be invited to once again tour the amazing Vancouver Marine Mammal Research Centre (VAMMR). Hidden deep in the safety of the Port of Vancouver, this unparalleled facility rehabilitates sea otter pups, seal pups, and, on occasion, false killer whales (a species of oceanic dolphin), porpoises, and sea turtles.

**seal pup with heart tag on its head.** *(photos courtesy of VAMMR)*

It is the only facility of its kind in Canada.

The Vancouver Aquarium and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) run this amazing facility, the Port of Vancouver donates the space, and Lyndsaye Akhurst manages the rescue centre.

At the time of my visit, there were 34 seal pups and no otter cubs. Four otter pups had just been sent to a DFO-approved facility in Quebec

The tour, led by staff member Janna and volunteer C, was remarkable.

The seal pups are adorable and curious, but human interaction is not allowed, because they will be returned to the wild. Walking through the facility, I covered my peripheral vision with my hands to avoid eye contact with the huge, curious brown eyes that popped up at every step. The temptation to interact was enormous.

The facility has 220 volunteers, and there are three four-hour shifts a day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The volunteers' main activities are cleaning the seal pups, feeding the youngest pups by tube with staff assistance, and encouraging pups to eat fish. Usually, eight volunteers work per shift. Sometimes they care for 100 seal pups.

The volunteers wear T-shirts in various colours. This lets staff easily see each volunteer's training level if urgent help is needed. Red T-shirts for staff, purple for a new volunteer, blue for a volunteer trained in animal husbandry, burgundy for a volunteer trained to handle a seal pup, orange for a team leader, and green for a registered vet tech or practicum student. The day I was there, UBC practicum students were recognizable by their dark blue shirts.

**colour coded staff and volunteers feeding a rescued pup.**

VAMMR has two vehicles but no boat. Luckily, they have a lot of kind, effective help. Harbour Air and Coastal Air move pups for VAMMR, plus the DFO, the VPD Marine Unit, and BC Ferries.

When someone calls the rescue hotline about a seal pup, VAMMR asks for photos. VAMMR staff can learn a lot from a photo. For instance, mother seals tend to leave their babies above the high-tide line, go to forage for food, and return at high tide. Members of the public frequently feel the pup is abandoned. Photos help staff identify a healthy pup waiting for its mom. The caller is asked to wait and see what happens, and whether the mom returns at high tide.

Sometimes boaters scoop baby seals prematurely when the pups are awaiting their mother’s return.

From the provided photos, staff can check whether the pup has an umbilical cord and placenta attached; if they are, the pup is in trouble. Sometimes the pup still has fur that protected it in the womb. It is called lanugo, and is shed before birth. When all three are present, it is obvious the pup is premature and needs to be rescued immediately.

Each seal in the facility has a feed sheet and a temporary tag attached to its forehead that identifies it. The tags drop off eventually. Called heart hats, these biodegradable markers let staff and volunteers easily identify the seal pups, ensuring each seal receives the right doses of medicine, vitamins, or formula. Secured with animal-safe adhesive, they fall off naturally when the seal goes through its seasonal moult.

It takes three people to feed a seal pup. One lifts the pup from its tub onto a cart and holds it there. Staff learn which pups are amenable and which may bite, and only staff handle the biters. Another volunteer/staff member slides the feeding tube down the seal pup’s throat into the stomach, and the third inserts the measured milk matrix into the tube. It mimics mother’s milk.

They are fed three times a day. The seal pups are then returned satiated to their tubs. All volunteers and staff wear gloves during the process, and everything, including the carts, is sterilized. Sterilizing shoe and boot baths are also available throughout the facility. The tubs are cleaned too, and a brush that cleans one tub will not clean another without sterilization.

The seal pups spend the night in dry tubs, so they can rest. Seawater is pumped into their tubs at intervals throughout the day. Seawater is good for the pups.

Once the pups have teeth, they are encouraged to eat herring. Sometimes they need a lot of encouragement.

Harbour seal moms don’t teach their pups much — after four weeks the pups are on their own. The VAMMR replicates seal moms and teaches the pups to eat fish.

Once the seal pups are happily eating the herring, they are moved to a group pool with other seals of a similar weight. They compete with the other seals for the fish. Finally, they are moved to the massive pool called the Orca, which holds 15 seals.

Once the pups reach 23 kilos, they are released back into the wild; Porteau Cove and Deep Cove are popular release sites.

On August 19, VAMMR released its first two seal pups of the year in Haida Gwaii. They issued the following press release.

“The first two harbour seal pups admitted to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society this season have returned last week to the ocean in Haida Gwaii. Sdlaana and Jimmy Two-Shoes were released by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Fishery Officers after completing their rehabilitation at VAMMR’s Rescue Centre in Vancouver.

“Sdlaana was the first harbour seal pup admitted to the Rescue Centre this season. He was found emaciated at 7.7 kilograms and alone beneath a BC Ferries ramp in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, and arrived at the Rescue Centre on May 19 in critical condition. Believed to be less than five days old, getting Sdlaana to specialized care involved local trained volunteers, DFO, and Pacific Coastal Airlines which transported him to Vancouver for urgent veterinary treatment.

“Named Sdlaana, meaning “survivor” in the Haida language, he recovered through weeks of specialized care before being cleared to return to the ocean. At the time of his release, he weighed 25.1 kilograms.

“Jimmy Two-Shoes was found near a breakwater in the Prince Rupert area after being observed alone for several days. A DFO Fishery Officer collected the young pup and helped coordinate his transport to the Rescue Centre. With remnants of his umbilical cord still present, Jimmy was also a very young pup when he was rescued. He was admitted to the Rescue Centre on May 29, weighing 8.4 kilograms. By the time he was cleared for release, he weighed over 22 kilograms.”

The DFO is the final word on whether the pups are ready to be released.

The pups are given a blood scan, and Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian and Director of Animal Health at the Vancouver Aquarium and Executive Director of the VAMMR, checks all seals before release. Dr Martin is known for leading rescue efforts for distressed marine wildlife. Look for the Wild Pacific Rescue Series on YouTube, Apple TV, etc.

Baby seal season is June to October. The premature pups are given stuffies, which helps them feel cozy. Currently, UBC student Jaanashten Bala, a graduate of UBC’s Neuroscience and Oceanography Dept., is checking pups’ saliva readings to see if the presence of stuffies reduces stress in the pups.

All the seals are named. Currently, the names are Canadian, like Canadian Bacon, Toonie, Pamela Anderson, and Rick Mercer. Awesome names!

For a donation, members of the public can name a seal pup. This season, the name must be Canadian.

The pups are not patted, hugged, or made into pets. Touring the facility meant the cute, curious faces looking over the tubs could not be interacted with.

**pup “canadian bacon” being rescued with the help of the VPD Marine unit.**

The day I was there, a call came in from Bowen Island regarding a lone, distressed harbour seal. The VPD Marine Unit took VAMMR staff to Bowen to rescue the pup, later named Canadian Bacon. She is doing well, and you can check photos on VAMMR’s social media.

Although the seal pups are not habituated to humans, the same is not true of the sea otter pups. They require a lot of handling and care. In the wild, their mothers care for them for up to eight months, teaching them survival skills.

At VAMMR, the pups are like adorable babies, handled, bottle-fed, massaged, cared for 24/7.

Sea otter pups cannot be released into the wild and are rehomed to facilities pre-approved by DFO, such as the Vancouver Aquarium.

VAMMR is an independent registered charity working in partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium. All donations go directly to VAMMR. There are many creative ways to support VAMMR financially. How about a symbolic adoption of a rescue animal that includes an adoption certificate or naming a sea otter pup? See the link below for the many ways to donate.

Interested in volunteering? The online callout for volunteers takes place in February and March. One also signs up online. Volunteers must be available at least one day a week in July and August. There are always more applicants than positions available.

MATCHING FOR MONITORING

Stanley Park Ecology is still working hard on its Matching for Monitoring project where they are raising money to fund year-round monitoring of the waters of Lost Lagoon and Beaver Lake. The SPE Board has donated $12,500, and every dollar donated before October 7, 2026 is doubled, up to $12,500, to help reach the $25,000 goal.

Follow social media for the chance to take a virtual tour of VAMMR, watch videos of rescued pups, and get regular updates on the seals and other VAMMR residents.