A petition started a month ago advocating against any lethal actions against coyotes in Stanley Park has seen a boost in the last few days.
Over the long weekend thousands have signed Leilani Pulsifer's Change.org petition asking officials not to kill the coyotes in the park after dozens of incidents between the wild dogs and human park goers. At the time of publication more than 15,700 have signed, with new names every couple of minutes.
In the petition's description Pulsifer, a UBC student, argues that killing the coyotes won't solve the issue over the long term, suggesting instead coyotes will breed or immigrate from other parts of the area.
"To solve the issue of the aggressive attacks, we need to maintain a healthy fear of humans in coyotes and ensure they do not get habituated to our presence," Pulsifer writes.
She also made a video to support the petition.
Recently the BC Conservation Officers Service (BCCOS) noted that they were able to catch and ultimately euthanize a coyote recently after it came over to two officers who were shaking a box of food. This happened directly after a multiple attacks in the park over a short period.
The petition asks the conservation service to stop killing coyotes; the BCCOS recently told media at a press conference they only catch and kill animals who are a direct threat to the public and would not participate in a cull. It also asks the city and parks board better enforce bylaws regarding feeding the wildlife.
A petition suggesting authorities need to do everything, including euthanasia, started in late August has garnered just under 1,000 signatures.
The province has confirmed it is hiring contractors to trap some of the park's coyotes, with plans to kill up to 35 of them.
