During a recent lunch time walk along the river, I saw a City of Calgary sign that said ‘Coyote in Area’ and this reminded me of the time in March 2020 my brother and I walked our dogs at a local park in the wee hours of the morning (unknowingly) during denning season.

Ironically, there was an early morning bird watcher at the park who saw us with our dogs and concerned, she told us there was a Coyote in the area as she pointed to the warning sign.  I thanked her for letting us know, but we barged ahead.  I’ve always walked my dog in the country and had never had an issue with a coyote.  Yes, I had seen them, but they never want anything to do with us and run off long before we even notice them.  Even though on this day it was 6:30 am and dark, I was not concerned, and we entered the park for our morning walk with the dogs.

A mere three minutes into our walk, we spotted a coyote. The coyote was so large in fact, I pondered whether it was a wolf.  We kept walking forward as this is what I typically do, and the coyote always runs off.  This time, the coyote remained eerily still.

Then we noticed back in the distance a young adolescent coyote was also holding his ground.

My brain could not comprehend what was going on as I had never experienced this before.  Had the coyotes gone mad?  What do we do?

While I’d like to say I silently pondered what to do, I’m ashamed to admit my gut instinct was to scream.  I screamed so loud at that coyote.  My heart was beating out of my chest.  I was terrified.  I didn’t want anything to happen to me, my dog, my brother or his dog.  I was in complete panic mode.

Since screaming at the coyote did absolutely nothing to move him off the path, I was able to clearly see for a moment in time.  Time stood still and it was like a slight out of body moment where I understood what the coyote was saying. 

Me:  We have to retreat.  He doesn’t want us to move forward.

Even in my panic, the coyote’s body language was very clear that he was not moving and it was US who should retreat.

My brother Steve took control of the situation.

Steve (as he grabs a large stick to hold up):  It’s ok.  You walk back towards the car and I’ll follow you.  I’ll keep an eye on the coyote you just look ahead and ensure the path in front of you is clear.

We walked together, back-to-back, towards the parking lot, my brother calmly and firmly talking to the coyote, holding the stick, his dog’s leash and carefully walking backwards.

The coyote very calmly walked us out for about a half a block or so, watching us and taking time to sniff our tracks as we retreated.  The young coyote stayed in the distance.

I was panic stricken but thankful Steve had taken charge and all I had to do was walk forward with my dog.

Once I got home, I reached out to my animal advocate friend who used to be a rep for Coyote Watch Canada. She explained that as it was spring, the coyotes likely had babies in a den nearby and I likely encountered one of the pack members along with a yearling on lookout duty.  She said to avoid the area as much as I could and that in about five weeks the family would move to a rendezvous site.

Rendezvous sites are safe zones where the coyote parents leave the pups while they hunt. Please leash your pets and pay attention to areas where dogs must be kept on leash and follow the local leash laws.  This helps keep everyone safe – both your pets and wildlife families that are vulnerable to domestic dog attacks.

Having my friend share this information really helped calm me down and I was able to better reflect.

I have immense respect for this coyote who I’m sure was also terrified but was a real leader in the situation.  It was the coyote’s body language and calm but firm demeanor that guided me on what to do.  The coyote did not want to bring harm to us nor did he want harm brought to his family.  This moment reminded me that we are more the same than not . We are both animals who want to survive, live our lives in peace and protect our families.  Though we do not speak the same language, we were able to negotiate a solution that allowed everyone to be safe.

This was a major seed moment for me.  I was not vegan at this point, but this moment is seared in my brain.  I have so much respect and admiration for this coyote family making a home in a local park and doing what they can to survive.  They cannot lock their doors like I can on my house, they have to stand guard and live in high alert while raising these precious young pups.  The least I can do is respect this little family and give them the space they need to take care of their young.  I can walk down another path.   I can choose another route.

Thank you to this coyote for sharing your wisdom and this incredible lesson with me.  I hope you are still out there enjoying a good life. I feel immense sadness knowing there’s only 4% of wildlife left on this planet.  We humans are so destructive.  Animal agriculture is destroying our planet. We aren’t leaving much room for wildlife to survive, let alone thrive.

Please watch this film Eating our Way to Extinction that is freely available on YouTube to start for a moment to comprehend how we are doing just that – eating our way to extinction.

This is not our planet, but theirs too.

Peace, love & plants,

Michelle 😊

p.s. Check out Coyote Watch Canada for some great resources on co-existing with these wonderful animals. They have many resources including a FREE e-learning module.