A Lynn Valley man is warning his neighbours after being attacked by either coyotes or off-leash dogs in the Westlynn area.
Deepak Gandhi had gotten off the bus on Mountain Highway and was walking home along 18th Street around 10:15 p.m. on Nov. 10 when two canids emerged and began stalking him.
“They very, quite ferociously, started to attack me,” he said.
Gandhi said they were showing co-ordinated behaviour, with each one coming at him from opposite sides. Luckily, Gandhi was carrying a heavy bag containing his lunchbox and laptop, which he swung at the animals to ward them off.
“I was not scared. I fought back. I didn’t give up,” he said.
At one point, Gandhi struck one of the canids on the head, which caused it to back off but only briefly. It quickly came back and bit down on his pantleg.
“They tore my whole pantleg from the knee,” he said. “They did not bite me. I was lucky, I think.”
When he was close to his own home, they retreated. Gandhi reported the incident to North Vancouver RCMP, who sent a vehicle around, but officers didn’t spot any sign of them.
Gandhi described the animals as being medium height with brown and black colouring.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service has been in contact with him and offered to come collect the ripped pants so they can take samples and determine what kind of canid DNA was left on them.
Whether they are dogs or coyotes, Gandhi wants his neighbours to know and be extra cautious.
Gandhi alerted his block watch group to spread the word. There are frequently seniors walking dogs and kids headed to and from school in the area, he said, and he'd worry for vulnerable people if the vicious animals were to be out during the daylight.
“I don’t want to see anybody hurt,” he said.
No one from the Conservation Officer Service was made available for an interview Wednesday, but a statement from the Ministry of Environment, which oversees the COS, said officers are following up but for now, the report of a coyote attack remains unconfirmed.
“There have been no reports of aggressive coyote behaviour in the area, however the COS would like to remind the public to take precautions when outside in case of coyote encounters,” the statement read. “This includes ensuring pets are leashed, travelling in groups and making yourself look as big as possible should a coyote approach you.”
Gandhi said the conservation officer he spoke with recommended carrying bear spray.
And with only one streetlamp nearby, the area is inadequately lit, which Gandhi said the District of North Vancouver could address as well.
Coyotes thrive in semi-urban environments, but it is unlike them to attack humans, according to the ministry. When they have, it’s typically because they have lost their fear of humans or become accustomed to finding food around them.
In October 2021, a West Vancouver family went public after a pack of coyotes
Any aggressive coyote behaviour should be reported to the ministry’s hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
