N.S. park officers kill coyote that chased bike, search for another that bit rider

Parks Canada says it has killed a coyote that was seen chasing a cyclist. This is the second incident of aggressive behaviour by coyotes along the Cabot Trail in less than a week.

Parks Canada says it has killed a coyote that was chasing a cyclist on Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail, while conservation officers keep searching for another coyote that bit a different bike rider’s arm.

Erich Muntz, a resource conservation manager with the agency, said in an interview Saturday that the chasing behaviour in the latest incident was considered dangerous enough to warrant shooting the animal.

He says the incident occurred on Friday on MacKenzie Mountain in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, when the coyote was seen chasing motorcyclists and then a biker on the steep road about 200 kilometres west of Sydney, N.S.

Meanwhile, as of Saturday, conservation officers hadn’t yet located the adult coyote that attacked and bit a cyclist in the Green Cove, N.S., area, about 50 kilometres east of MacKenzie Mountain, on Wednesday.

Muntz says conservation officers had been aware of the coyote killed Friday for several weeks, as it previously exhibited a fearlessness toward humans and it had been seen chasing motorcycles.

He says coyotes are considered dangerous when they begin chasing bicycles, especially on a steep hill like MacKenzie Mountain, where cyclists often are moving slowly.

“If you have to slow down to get up a hill, you are very vulnerable,” he said.

Muntz said there is a combination of potential reasons on why the animals chase cyclists. The coyotes may be irritated by the sound and motion of the wheels.