Stanley Park is one of the most beautiful recreational centers in Canada. It is, if I may be permitted to say so, the Jewel in the Crown of Vancouver, British Columbia. I am a race walker and I’ve entered dozens of 5k, 10k, and half marathons there. The outer track is about 6 miles; while walking, running, skating or biking around it, you can view the majestic Grouse Mountain, English Bay, the Vancouver skyline, numerous beaches, the Lion’s Gate Bridge, a statue of the mermaid, the University of British Columbia, North and West Vancouver, and much much more. It is truly a trip worth taking.
But all is not well in what would otherwise clearly be considered this environmental heaven. There are coyotes at large in in Stanley Park, and some of them are not at all that friendly. To wit, several joggers, passersby, tourists- over a dozen- have already been bitten and more of the same would appear to be in the offing.
Say what?! Let me repeat that: in this case, man doesn’t bite coyote, but coyote bites man. This species is not as dangerous as is the wolf, but if you are on the receiving end of their attentions, you’ll soon realize that they are not cuddly dogs either. One woman had her hamstring tendon detached as a result of an attack. No one, yet, has been killed by any of these predators, but if these depredations continue, such a tragedy should not occasion any great surprise. Especially vulnerable would be the elderly and children. Should a baby ever be bitten, its life would be at grave risk. Are we going to wait around for that to occur?
What have the authorities done so far to quell this abomination? (Is that too harsh a word? Not if you are on the receiving end of one of these beasts’ attentions). In late January of this year conservation officers captured and killed two of these vicious animals. But there are an estimated dozen of them living and marauding in Stanley Park, and the authorities have taken no further action to quell this menace.
Please be sitting down when you read this, otherwise you might keel over. How would a private owner of this precious real estate deal with this threat? It doesn’t take an entrepreneurial genius to appreciate that one of the very first steps of a Stanley Park Corporation would be to round up all of these predators, and either place them in a zoo, or release them into the wilds where they could do no harm.
Profit and loss considerations would dictate this. Apart from a few weird masochists, no one likes to be bitten by a wild animal.
Before you scoff at the idea of privatizing this vast area (1,001 acres) realize that private enterprise has successfully owned and operated other large attractions. For example, Disney World is 25,000 acres. If there are any coyotes there, you may be sure they are kept behind bars.
Would the private owner of Stanley Park place high-rise buildings in its midst, thus risking what makes this area so attractive in the first place? Unlikely. Disney World, Six Flags, none of the rest have done any such thing. Further, this could be legally precluded by the transfer agreement.
But, horrors, the SP Corp would charge admission! You think you don’t already pay for the care and mismanagement of this splendid park through taxes? Given the greater efficiency of the private vis a vis the public sector, it would be exceedingly likely that the costs would fall.
I tell you this! I’m not entering any more races in Stanley Park until this threat is ended. I’m pretty fast for an old codger, but I can’t out-run or out-walk a hungry coyote.
READER COMMENTS
Art K
Apr 19 2021 at 9:12am
There was this:
https://www.cnn.com/2016/08/22/us/orlando-disney-gator-attack
zeke5123
Apr 19 2021 at 11:04am
That thought sprang to mind right away.
But I would bet Disney World Visitors / Animal Attacks at Disney World compared to Stanley Park Visitors / Animal Attacks at Stanley Park the first ratio would be significantly smaller than the second ratio.
Art K
Apr 19 2021 at 3:05pm
Agreed!
Mary Hollowell
May 17 2021 at 4:47pm
I am so sorry about the coyotes and, yes, authorities should act. Disney CEO Robert Iger covers his telephone call to the parents of the boy who was killed by an alligator in this autobiograpy: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45310145-the-ride-of-a-lifetime
David Seltzer
Apr 19 2021 at 9:32am
Walter, Our home is on two acres of woods with a vibrant creek running through the back. So are other homes in the community. We have seen bears and several coyotes. I walk my small dog early in the morning. On a few occasions, one of those rascals approached. One was stunned when I became aggressive and hit him with a stinging shot of pepper jell which adhered tenaciously to his face and snout. He departed post haste. Of course, these attacks will continue to occur as we reduce their habitat with increased home construction. The cost of progress is part of the trade-off. It seems there will always be the face off between tragedy of the commons and private property rights.
Jon Murphy
Apr 19 2021 at 10:16am
That is possible, but it’s not obvious from the story that the optimal level of coyote attacks is zero. Indeed, I imagine it’s positive. If the goal of the park is to interact with nature, then excluding coyotes from the park entirely may end up reducing the value of the park. Indeed, one of the main attractions, according to the website you link to, is the wildlife. Thus, there will be a tradeoff between wildlife attacks and tourist revenue.
Long story short, there are likely other margins a privatized park would adjust along before entirely removing coyotes.
Incidentally, the point I make here is why the comparison to Disney World breaks down. Disney is much larger and well-policed for varmints, it is true. But the margins they are adjusting along are different. Disney does not advertise wildlife as a reason to attend. Stanley Park, on the other hand, does. For Disney, wildlife is a cost. For Stanley, it is a benefit. One would expect the optimal level of wildlife incidents for the two to be different, and consequently for Stanley to be willing to accept a higher rate of attack.
David Seltzer
Apr 19 2021 at 10:50am
Jon, an enlightened analysis. It seems I’m always learning how to think like an economist. The other side of the analysis would include assumption of risk by one entering a wild life habitat. I have back packed in Glacier national Park, and scuba dived in predator infested waters. In every case I knew I was entering areas where there was the possibility of attack. I calculated the risk as acceptable as the reward for enjoying those magnificent natural wonders made the risk worthwhile.
Jon Murphy
Apr 19 2021 at 11:49am
Aren’t we all!
Yeah. This is a big point and one I find is often not discussed in conversations of externality. In fact, there’s a real good paper in a recent issue of the Southern Economic Journal by Pete Leeson and Louis Rouanet where they discuss exactly that (I have technical issues with their argument and conclusion, but the basic idea is solid).
Thomas Lee Hutcheson
Apr 21 2021 at 6:30am
Of course no one has the option of not undertaking the risks of harm from CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere. One can expend resources to reduce the harm, but then the opportunity cost of those resources become the (reduced) harm.
Jon Murphy
Apr 21 2021 at 4:52pm
That’s empirically and theoretically incorrect. Check out Coase 1960 for the theory and then the vast literature on “moving to the harm.”
MarkW
Apr 19 2021 at 4:17pm
This is not like going into the wilderness knowing there is some remote chance of an encounter with a predator. This is case where a relatively small number of coyotes are living in an urban park (just marginally bigger than Central Park in New York) and aggressively attacking bikers and joggers in the same way they would try to attack and take down deer. Anybody living in Vancouver has ready access to vast tracks of wilderness in almost every direction — there’s simply no good reason to tolerate an aggressive pack of coyotes in Stanley park.
Jon Murphy
Apr 19 2021 at 6:06pm
A couple of thoughts:
First: I was under the impression Stanley Park was more akin to a national park or woodland reserve. My mistake.
Second: Your comment puts into perspective to me how big Disney World is.
Pierre Lemieux
Apr 19 2021 at 2:51pm
Good point, Jon! Moreover, there is a simple private solution to that problem: carry a handgun if you don’t want the teeth of nature to bite you. In my Maine suburb, my previous dental assistant (no pun there) was trying to persuade her mother or mother-in-law to carry in order to protect herself against coyotes. But this private solution is banned in Canada, where the government forbids carrying guns, except for cops and government praetorians of course.
David Seltzer
Apr 19 2021 at 4:34pm
Pierre, good point. There are several ways to reduce the risk of attack. Hike with another person. Make noise on the trail. Carry, as in my case, pepper gel or bear spray in places like Glacier. Look for scat on trails. But, as you suggest, I carry whenever I hike in Georgia, where I live, and did so when I camped for two weeks in Glacier National Park. In the end, understand your environment and its potential risks. As an aside, your last name reminds me of the great Mario Lemieux. I lived in Pittsburgh for a year and attended many Pen’s games. His play was legendary.
Pierre Lemieux
Apr 19 2021 at 8:52pm
David: I was living in Montréal when Mario Lemieux (who is certainly my Nth cousin, but perhaps closer to 1747 than to today, so N must be large) started playing hockey and often watching games with my sons, including at the Montréal Forum. I think that the Montréal Canadiens did not square often with the Pinguins, but you can correct me on this. We rooted for the Canadiens although my youngest son sometimes rooted for the American team!)
David Seltzer
Apr 19 2021 at 10:18pm
Pierre: When I think of the Habs, I remember Ken Dryden’s play against the Blackhawks in the 7th game of the 1971 Stanly Cup playoff. I was a grad student in the business school at the University of Chicago. I was stunned but certainly no more so than Keith Magnuson who sat on the bench and wept when it all ended. Henri Richard brought Montreal back from the dead with two goals. The Montreal Canadiens, what a storied franchise. You must be so proud.
Lalah
Apr 19 2021 at 4:59pm
Well said. Your article stated no one had been killed. Not in BC, true. But Taylor Mitchell, 19, was mauled to death in a Cape Breton park, by healthy well-fed coyotes in broad daylight. Walkers there reported the park coyotes had little fear of man. I truly hope your article gets the attention it deserves, before another tragedy happens.
Mel
Apr 27 2021 at 7:45pm
I would like to point out that people are just as dangerous. In 2014, a cyclist on Stanley Park Drive killed a 71 year old pedestrian, and another cyclist injured a woman in 2015 by knocking her off the seawall onto the rocks below and breaking her back. People are just as dangerous as the coyotes.
Thomas Lee Hutcheson
Apr 20 2021 at 7:23am
Maybe removing all the cayotes on the park is not optimal (and would not be chosen by a private owner). Perhaps cayotes are preying on some other creature that is harmful to the park and therefore to its visitors. “Unintended consequences.” , “Seen and unseen.”
Chris H
Apr 20 2021 at 2:16pm
Simply seed the park with road runners. They will not eliminate them, but will lower coyote morale to the point of harmlessness. Plus, what’s good for the Acme Company is good for America — er, Canada.
Jon Murphy
Apr 21 2021 at 4:53pm
^This dude’s got a point. Someone get him a Nobel Prize.
Linda L
Apr 23 2021 at 5:02am
Comparing Stanley Park to Disneyland or Disney World is just silly – and privatizing is not desirable or feasible.
However, I am glad to read someone’s opinion that this Coyote situation cannot be ‘managed’ by leaving Coyotes free to roam!!
This is NOT people encroaching on their habitat – they are encroaching on ours! The reason this is a new problem is the Coyotes are new, they are not native to the park or Vancouver. We have gone insane permitting this situation to continue at all – as soon as Coyotes started encroaching on our city they should have been trapped and either exterminated or removed, but as the Coyote population is not in danger I actually do not see the need to ‘save and protect’ them. It is ridiculous that we are entertaining coexistence.
Pete
Apr 27 2021 at 8:21am
This is cowardly fear mongering. People need to stop feeding the animals in the park and clean up after our pets, and stop being sounabashedly ignorant. People in this city are so intellectually deprived of living in nature it embarrasses me to be associated with them on any level. It is us who need to learn how to exist in general not just co exist, we did this to them.
Mel
Apr 27 2021 at 7:44pm
I thought this piece was satirical but unfortunately by the time I got to the end, I realized he was serious. I live in the West End of Vancouver and walk in Stanley Park daily. I am aware of the coyote situation and therefore, for the time being, pay attention to all signage in the park that is posted where the coyotes are active and avoid the back section of trails and the part of the seawall where there have been incidents. I have also learned what to do if I am approached by a coyote. Hint: don’t run. Or they will chase you and bite you. But as far as I’m concerned, the coyotes have more right to be there than I do and it’s certainly not their fault that they have become habituated to people because folks have been feeding them. Because of the quiet year last year with Covid, they expanded their territory and then there were more conflicts with people when their mating season started. It’s a park for goodness sake. If you are afraid of nature, then stay home and let other people enjoy it. Coyotes are not native to the park but guess what, people aren’t either. Educate yourself, pick up your garbage and control your pets. Then their wouldn’t be a problem. And regarding the comment referencing the person who was killed by a coyote, I would like to point out that people are just as dangerous. In 2014, a cyclist on Stanley Park Drive killed a 71 year old pedestrian, and another cyclist injured a woman in 2015 by knocking her off the seawall onto the rocks below and breaking her back.
Ian Murray
May 17 2021 at 11:37am
As a sheep farmer, I’ve had over 40 years on the receiving end of coyote predation.
I respect them greatly: they are cunning and intelligent.
I suspect that the root of the problem of the coyote attacks on humans has to do with humans feeding coyotes so that they learn not to fear people.
Mike Holmes
May 17 2021 at 2:07pm
What might be the effect of “sovereign immunity” here?
Unlike the USA, where trial lawyers run in packs far more dangerous than coyotes, I think in Canada their laws on liability and tort damages are much different. Namely, good luck getting a settlement.
As Stanley Park is government owned, I’m sure the “Crown immunity” doctrine keeps them from paying for all but the most outrageous dangers their negligence might inflict on the public.
So Stanley Park is “anarchy” when it comes to protection of your person and property from dangers the “owners” ignore. You are on your own.
I would suggest carrying a large stick at least three feet long. Or meters, even better, since it is Canada. I hope carrying canes or staffs is still legal there.
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