Toronto Animal Services claimed, via a phone call, that the fatal shootings were done “after a series of human attacks”.  However, they could not describe nor confirm any human attacks.   Quote from May 9th, just a day or two before the coyotes were shot to death:  “The reports regarding human bite and attack were investigated and re-categorized, because the details could not be confirmed. Staff continue to closely monitor these locations.”. https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/96db-Coyote-Response-Update-to-Public-May-9-2025.pdf

Toronto Animal Services said there were no puppies, but that doesn’t add up to what coyote experts said.  Toronto Wildlife Centre only found out about the killing from the news media days later.  That could add up to pups being found dead.  The majority of lethal pest control contractors do not bother saving the babies.  Ethical pest control contractors will remove parent animals without killing, and will reunite the babies with the parents.  

The adults killed were not “humanely euthanized”.  I got confirmation from the City of Toronto Animal Services that Johnny the Critter Gitter “humanely euthanized them by firearm”.  In other words, he shot them.  One of the coyotes probably watched in horror as his or her beloved life partner was shot to death.  Toronto Animal Services claims that police cordoned the area off and warned people.  I phoned Toronto Police non emergency number and the operator had no clue about the shooting.  She put me through to another police officer, and she had no idea about the coyote shooting either.  They asked me to email corpcomms@tps.ca .  This is really troubling.  Police are supposed to be informed ahead of time to close the area off and give special permission to the shooter.  There are homeless people who are out around Liberty Village.  And if no one heard the gun, Critter Gitter may have used a silencer.  That is illegal in Canada without a permit from the federal government

The City of Toronto called the shootings “humane euthanasia”, but there are several papers and articles pointing out why dog culls (which is exactly what this was), are neither humane nor an appropriate method of euthanasia.  Culling removes animals with possible immunity to certain diseases.  Wildlife in an urban area may have eaten vaccines, or been treated previously in a wildlife rehabilitation centre, where they receive vaccines.  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies

It is also extremely ineffective, since every single animal killed leaves space for more to move in.  The replacement animals will breed more prolifically to replace the ones who were shot.  This is especially true in this case, where a mated pair of coyotes were killed.  When a mated pair is shot, there are no longer the social pressures and pheromones to prevent other lower ranking females to get pregnant.  

Shooting animals also traumatizes humans, especially children, and Indigenous elders who may recall the dog culls employed by government agencies who shot dogs to gain access to children in order to kidnap them to residential schools.  Fellow dogs are traumatized too, watching their families being shot. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9092908/

There are plenty of humane alternatives to culling.  Spaying and neutering programs are expensive but reduce dog bite incidents significantly.  www.communitycats.ca 
https://www.icam-coalition.org/evidence-against-culling-dogs-and-cats/
This was proposed for coyotes days before the shooting.  

I would like the truth to come out.  

Sincerely,

Nicole Corrado
Director of Research, Animal Defence and Antivivisection Society of British Columbia
514-601-0259