[First Lady]

This comment was just left on the above linked blog.

My name is Alessandro Massolo and I am an Assistant Professor in Wildlife Health Ecology with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. I am the supervisor of the catch and release study that is happening in the Nosehill, Bowmont and Fish Creek parks.

We are conducting this study in partnership with the City of Calgary and it involves catching coyotes, fitting them with GPS collars to track their movements, and then releasing them. It will help us understand how coyotes use and move around the urban environment and interact with humans, domestic animals and other urban wildlife. It will also contribute data to other ongoing studies that we conduct in partnership with the City, including a recently announced examination of gastrointestinal parasites in Calgary dogs. The findings may ultimately help improve the management of our city’s natural areas and ensure a better environment for people, their pets and wildlife, enabling them all to coexist in the urban landscape.

The catch and release equipment referred to in this blog has been placed off of the main trails, in heavily wooded areas and are only open between dusk (from approximately 8 p.m. onwards) and dawn. The equipment has only been placed in designated on-leash areas to minimize the potential for accidental capture of animals, as the assumption is that they would be on a leash and accompanied by a handler. We have also placed warning signs approximately 50 metres away from these areas. The “wooden board with spikes” also referred to is not a bait or a trap – this is simply a cover that is placed on the apparatus during daylight hours to prevent it from being activated.

The catch and release equipment is humane and is not intended to injure animals or people. In the event of a dog becoming caught, there are nearby signs immediately adjacent to them to indicate a phone number to call for immediate assistance. Any dog caught will immediately be conveyed to an emergency 24-hour veterinary clinic.

I can assure you that this study was subject to rigorous academic ethic approvals prior to being undertaken and is entirely humane. We did our best to mitigate potential risks and it is not our intent to have any animal hurt. We are taking this feedback, such as the readability of the signage, seriously into consideration and we will look into making appropriate modifications.

We appreciate your understanding and concern.

Kind regards,
Alessandro