Coyote Sightings

In the last couple of weeks, coyote sightings have been reported on the north side of autoroute 40 near the Ste Anne de Bellevue exit. It's not a rare occurrence according to Cynthia Chesmer who has been seeing one or two coyotes early in the morning on her way to work. "He was just sitting near the 40, looking towards the traffic," Chesmer said. If anyone can identify a coyote – it's Chesmer. She worked at the Ecomuseum in Ste Anne de Bellevue for 12 years.

The Ecomuseum is home to a couple of coyotes, wolves, black bears, and other animals native to the St Lawrence River Valley.

Environmentalist David Fletcher was out tracking on Sunday afternoon in the Rivière à l'Orme area with two companions "We saw several signs of coyotes. We saw tracks and places where they bedded down. These are places where the snow ground is less. We also saw urine and signs of female coyotes in estrus. I guess the mating season is near," Fletcher said. For people unsure on what to do when they come into contact with local wildlife, McGill University's Macdonald Campus helps by offering πinformation and where possible, peaceful solutions to problems regarding wildlife and horticulture. You can visit their Website at www.agrenv.mcgill.ca or call 514 398-7882. Questions can be emailed to nature@nrs.mcgill.ca. You can also drop by R3-038 of Raymond Building at Macdonald Campus in Ste Anne de Bellevue.