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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-pregnant-woman-coyote-attack-1.5770645
Pregnant woman fends off coyotes in Woolastook Park
One dog bitten during incident in park southwest of Fredericton, fire official says
· CBC News· Posted: Oct 21, 2020 11:27 AM AT
A pregnant woman had to be checked out at hospital after she and her dogs encountered coyotes in Woolastook Park, a 30-minute drive southwest of Fredericton. (City of Calgary)
A woman who is nine months pregnant was able to fend off three or four coyotes that surrounded her and her two dogs while she was out walking in Woolastook Park on Tuesday morning, says Chief Murray Crouse of the Upper Kingsclear Fire Department.
"They were surrounded by three or four coyotes that surrounded and tried to get the dogs," Crouse said Wednesday.
The woman was able to call 911 for help and kept scaring away the coyotes from her and the dogs, he said.
"She got off the trail trying to protect the dogs, and she didn't know for a few minutes where she was. Of course, in all the excitement I could see that happening."
Crouse said the coyotes were gone when his department arrived at the park southwest of Fredericton, but firefighters found one of the dogs had been bitten.
"We took it in to the vet and dropped it off there, and she went to get checked out at the hospital as well because she was nine months pregnant."
Crouse said there are coyotes in the area that can be heard howling at night. Some cats in the area have disappeared.
"But as far as attacking when there's people there no, I never … it's the first time I come across that."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-bear-destroyed-public-safety-risk-1.5729311
Bear, 2 cubs destroyed in Fredericton park after being deemed a public safety risk
Bears were in Odell Park for two days, and rangers couldn't get close enough to tranquilize them
· CBC News· Posted: Sep 18, 2020 1:28 PM AT
Department of Natural Resources and Energy staff euthanized a sow and two cubs in Fredericton's Odell Park on Sunday after they were deemed a risk to public safety. (CBC file photo)
Three bears — a sow and her two cubs — were destroyed Sunday night by forest rangers with the Department of Natural Resources after spending the weekend near houses in a Fredericton neighbourhood and then in a city park.
The bears were deemed a risk to public safety, Kristian Moore, the executive director of the department's natural resources division, said Friday.
"It's regrettable that the bears had to be euthanized and that is always a last resort. You know, staff don't like having to euthanize an animal."
Moore told CBC's Information Morning Fredericton the bears were first seen Saturday morning in a tree along Golf Club Road.
City police closed the road to traffic while Natural Resources staff monitored the situation.
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He said the three bears couldn't be tranquilized that day because the bears were beyond the maximum 50 metres range of the equipment. Staff safety also had to be considered.
"We couldn't get close enough to use the tranquilizer dart."
On Sunday, forest rangers were called to Odell Park, and found the same bears about 30 metres up a tree.
Moore said the rangers stayed on site and monitored the situation all day.
"Again, the consideration was to, if an opportunity provided itself, to use the tranquilizer dart."
But with the bears in the tree and the limits of the tranquilizer gun, a live trap was set up in the hopes the bears would enter it. But by dark they hadn't, and Moore said the decision was made to destroy the bears instead.
"These bears are obviously acclimatized to public areas and, you know, they weren't looking to find their way to the woods, and most likely would travel to an adjacent home or owners' properties or further into the city the following day."
Moore said that although Odell Park is forested, it is frequented by joggers, hikers and cyclists, and overall is a busy place for recreational use.
Department of Natural Resources and Energy staff had set up a live trap but the bears did not go in it. ((CBC))
"Public safety is always paramount and in this case, as I said, there was a concern for public given the proximity of homes and businesses."
While it depends on the circumstance, Moore said Natural Resources tries to relocate bears that get too close to homes and businesses after they've identified a food source.
"If a food source is removed then then the bears move on."
"If that's not the case and we can get into a situation where we can tranquilize, in this case, a bear, we will do that. And then the last, obviously the last resort is to euthanize a bear."
Moore said all actions taken by department staff are done against the backdrop of public safety, but he understands why the public gets upset when they hear rangers have had to put down animals.
"People have that feeling of wildlife and and that's understandable."
Moore said the province has a healthy population of bears estimated at 18,000 to 20,000. Because of the high yield for berries and nuts in 2019, bears were very healthy when they went into hibernation.
"The result was this year, in 2020, we see a lot of female bears with two and a lot of cases, three cubs. So the bear population is doing very well in New Brunswick."
About the Author
With files from Information Morning Fredericton
Rangers kill bear near Fredericton walking trail
Large black bear reported in tree behind Devon Lumber
Forest rangers killed a large black bear near a busy walking trail on Fredericton's north side on Sunday afternoon.
Rangers responded around 5 a.m. to a report of the bear in a tree near the walking trail behind Devon Lumber, by the Nashwaak River, said Mélanie Sivret, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources.
The bear stayed in place into the afternoon.
"As the trail was becoming quite busy in the afternoon, at around 2 p.m. a decision was made to immobilize the bear by using tranquilizer darts," Sivret wrote in an email.
Staff tranquilized the bear at about 2:30 p.m.
Sivret said the bear did not appear to be recovering after the tranquilizer wore off.
The bear was then killed.
'Big moose' spotted in downtown Fredericton
Second moose on the loose in city since June
A moose running around downtown Fredericton drew onlookers Saturday afternoon.
The moose was first seen around Liverpool Street, up the hill in Fredericton, but was later spotted walking down Smythe Street.
It was finally cornered in the parking lot of the NBCC corporate offices at the corner of Smythe and Saunders streets.
It wasn't something Danny Carson expected to see on his walk with his dog.
"[I] just kind of looked over and saw a big moose," he said.
A Fredericton police spokesperson said the department was aware of the issue but would not confirm if they were on scene. The spokesperson said it was a provincial matter.
CBC News has reached out to the province but has yet to receive a reply.
Carson said he couldn't be sure who was there, but there appeared to be people keeping the animal cornered. He said he didn't see anybody with a rifle.
"I'm not quite sure what they were doing, but they were making sure it didn't go back to the road," said Carson.
This isn't the first time a moose has been sighted in residential areas in Fredericton this year.
In June, a moose was spotted in Wilmot Park. It was tranquilized and moved to another area.
Am I the only one who finds this an extremely odd reaction by the Fredericton Police Department?