Fisherman makes gruesome discovery along parkway

A number of dead coyotes on the slope from the Niagara River Parkway trail down to the gorge will remain where they are, left to decompose naturally.

Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Abraham Peterson had just finished doing a bit of fishing in Queenston Tuesday, when he made the gruesome discovery.

He was heading from Queenston back toward NOTL along the Niagara River Parkway in his truck when he pulled over to read a plaque on the side of the road.

Over the fence from where he stood, down the embankment to the Niagara River, were a number of dead coyotes.

They weren’t all easy to see, hidden by branches and leaves, but there were several, he said.

Not sure who to call, but believing he should report what he was seeing, he called the Niagara Regional Police, who suggested he call the Niagara Falls Humane Society.

He also called The Local.

A call to the Niagara Parks Commission police, since the coyotes are on parks property, brought a return call from Parks Police Chief Paul Forcier.

They’ve had reports before about the coyotes, going back to last spring, and an officer dispatched counted eight. “We didn’t see anything fresh,” he said.

There have been “two or three reports” from the public, and coyotes are spread out in a few different locations, all on the slope down to the gorge, he said. It was determined it would be dangerous to try to remove them, and since they are not in an area accessible to the public, it was decided to leave them where they are.

“We’re not going to put anyone at risk to retrieve them,” said Forcier. “We’re troubled by it. Nobody likes to see animals dumped in that manner, and it’s unfortunate it’s occurred,” he said. 

If an animal could be picked up safely they would do that, “but that’s clearly not the case.”

It’s possible they were “dispatched to protect livestock,” and they have been dumped on more than one occasion, according to reports, he said, but although they’ve received complaints, nobody has witnessed the activity or reported a vehicle or licence plate number, making it impractical to investigate.