New Burlington bylaw will allow professionals to shoot vicious animals

Burlington is not planning to hunt coyotes, but if one has to be put down, the City wants to give outside professionals the go-ahead to do so.

A proposed change to a local bylaw calls for the ability of trained experts to discharge a firearm within the city limits.

The new rule is designed to permit specially assigned personnel to shoot sick, injured or vicious animals if necessary. The bylaw is mostly aimed at subduing coyotes.

Under current rules, Burlington would need a bylaw officer trained in firearm discharge to accompany the outside agents should
there be a need to shoot an animal. The City considers this a duplication of work and currently does not have such officers.

The reworking of the bylaw also comes in response to Burlington’s Coyote Response Strategy which was updated following several coyote attacks in 2022 and allows for the use of outside hunters. In 2022 four coyotes had to be put down after several unprovoked attacks on people.

The primary goal of Burlington’s Coyote Response strategy is not to destroy the animal, rather it is to increase public awareness and education to limit interactions with coyotes.

City councillors will have the bylaw put before them for discussion at an upcoming committee meeting.