Coyote movements changing, Calgary experts say, as animals appear in new parts of city

Coyotes have been spotted in areas of Calgary where they have never been seen before, but one researcher says it's nothing to be concerned about.

"What I have had reported to me through contact from the public is there are places where there are coyotes are missing, and there are places where people are noticing coyotes for the first time," says University of Calgary geography professor Shelley Alexander.

A key factor behind the shift in the city's coyote population is the availability of food.

"Every year you have different prey available to species. You maybe have a year where you have more berries or something in one part of the city, or maybe you have a decline in small mammal population," saidAlexander, who specializes in coyote ecology.

"So coyotes will move and other wildlife will move as well to respond to where those prey are located."

Another reasonCalgariansmight be seeing more coyotes is because the young are leaving the pack and looking for new homes, Alexander says.

But Alexander says there's little reason to be afraid, as the number ofattacks on humansis less than three per year on average.

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