The bylaw allowing park rangers to fine people feeding coyotes in Vancouver's city parks is now in effect.
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation voted to enact the new bylaw amendment that allows park rangers to issue $500 fines if someone is caught feeding a wild animal, or if they're caught leaving food out to attract a wild animal. Local police are also allowed to issue the fines.
While the new fines come as a result of the issues surrounding Stanley Park coyotes over the last year, they aren't limited to the canine.
“'WILDLIFE' means all amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, both native and not native to the Province, excluding any domesticated animal under the control of a human,” states the new policy.
While fines are now possible, last week the parks administration suggested enforcement might not follow immediately. Amit Gandha, the acting director with the parks board, said what enforcement will look like would come after the bylaw amendment was completed.
The fines are directly related to the feeding of coyotes, which is believed to be a significant factor in the massive spike in coyote attacks in Stanley Park over the last year. In last week's report, staff included photos of what appears to be a person attracting the attention of raccoons for photos.
