The City of Toronto may have to take lethal action on at least one Beach-area coyote to prevent more pets from being harmed by the wild animal, reports say.
The coyote has been spotted several times near Queen Street East and Victoria Park Avenue in recent months, and at least one dog attack has been linked to the coyote.
The six-year-old Chihuahua, named Zoe, was killed after being snatched from her owner's backyard on Neville Park Boulevard.
Officials at Toronto Animal Services told the Toronto Star that they're worried because the attack happened during daylight, within steps of the pet's owner.
While this is the first reported case of a dog being killed by a coyote, other homeowners in the area say they've noticed a rash of missing cats since the wild animal was first spotted in the neighbourhood months ago.
The Toronto Animal Services official told the newspaper there are three options; educating the public to be careful, setting humane traps (which are difficult) and lastly, hiring someone to shoot the coyote.
Darts can't be used because they can take up to 30 minutes to immobilize the animal, and darts that miss the target could injure humans or animals later on.
