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Illegally off-leash dogs put stress on city's wildlife, say researchers

'Hopefully with the data, people will start to see that their actions do have an impact on the park wildlife'

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Researchers are asking people to reconsider letting their dogs off leash in on-leash areas of Calgary parks and natural spaces after a study noted the impact off-leash dogs are having on the local wildlife.

The study, conducted by the Miistakis Institute — a non-profit research institute affiliated with Mount Royal University — in partnership with the City of Calgary, Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society and Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society, captured more than 125,000 images over three years in Calgary parks to assess the city’s biodiversity.

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The Calgary Captured project found three-quarters of the images taken between May 2017 and May 2020 were of people, despite the 97 motion-activated cameras being placed away from high-use trails in the 19 parks.

“Obviously our parks are heavily used, and who’s using them the most is us,” said Tracy Lee, senior project manager at Miistakis Institute.

The rest of the photos were of wildlife, including the most prominent species of deer and coyotes. The cameras also recorded about 20,000 images of off-leash dogs, and 89 per cent of those dogs were in on-leash areas. After analyzing the images, the research team, which includes MRU students, determined off-leash dogs are impacting animal behaviour, Lee said.

“I think that just tells us that maybe we have an educational issue around why it’s important to have your dogs on leash in on-leash areas from a wildlife perspective,” Lee explained.

Some animals are deterred from certain areas while others have become more nocturnal to avoid off-leash dogs and people. And the research shows they are slightly more sensitive to the dogs, Lee said.

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“I think this research supports the park bylaws that are already in place,” she said, explaining that people should follow signs, give animals space, visit parks during daylight hours, stay on maintained trails and keep dogs on leashes in on-leash areas.

Maureen Luchsinger, executive director of the Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society, said off-leash dogs can cause wildlife serious stress.

“They’re trying to use their energy to find food, to find shelter, to rest, and if they have to constantly move away and refrain from being around dogs, over time it can impact their reproduction, their growth and can affect their immune systems,” said Luchsinger.

Off-leash dogs are the No. 1 infraction observed in Fish Creek Park and it’s the most difficult bylaw to enforce, explained Chris Lalonde, the communications manager with Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society.

Activity rates across Calgary for mule deer and coyotes.
Activity rates across Calgary for mule deer and coyotes. Photo by Zooniverse /Calgary Captured project

“Hopefully with the data, people will start to see that their actions do have an impact on the park wildlife,” said Lalonde, adding that it’s also a safety concern for other people and dogs visiting the spaces.

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“We are focusing our efforts on getting the word out there to say, you might not get fined today or tomorrow, or ever, but there are reasons to keep your dog on a leash in the park, and they’re very good reasons.”

Vanessa Carney, landscape analysis supervisor with the City of Calgary, said the city has more than 150 off-leash areas that can be enjoyed by dogs and their owners. Calgary is an “on-leash city,” meaning that dogs are required to be on a leash unless on their own property or in a designated off-leash area.

She said the city will continue to educate the public, but may need to adjust its strategy after seeing the high volume of non-compliance. As well, they’ll be taking a closer look at enforcement strategies.

“The other area that interests me is basically looking at how we plan for future park space, particularly natural areas, and figure out ways that we can look at how we program those spaces to minimize conflict between humans and pets,” Carney said.

She said keeping pets on leashes in on-leash areas is a really small ask for something that matters so much.

“Cities have a really big responsibility to actually look at conserving and protecting habitat. There’s a fair bit of pressure to make sure that we actually are fostering biodiversity and populations within the city.”

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Calgary Captured also caught images of moose, red foxes, bobcats, cougars, black bears, raccoons and porcupines, highlighting the city’s biodiversity.

Calgarians have to learn to coexist with local wildlife, Luchsinger said.

“A healthy, biodiverse ecosystem keeps humans healthy. We need to ensure that our ecosystems are healthy and well because it provides us with fresh water and fresh air,” she said.

sbabych@postmedia.com
Twitter: @BabychStephanie


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