Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 25/06) - Wildlife officers are on the lookout for a three-legged coyote last seen around Wal-Mart and Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Senior wildlife officer Raymond Bourget said they've checked their traps at the Yellowknife Airport, but it doesn't appear they were responsible for the animal's injury.

"All the traps are still in place. None are closed," said Bourget. "So we know it's not from that activity. It could've been hit by a vehicle and got it's leg stuck between some bars of some sort."

The coyote, who is missing part of one front leg, was first seen around the hospital last week. On Saturday, it was spotted near the hospital, said Bourget.

Bourget said if wildlife officers do locate the animal, it will be destroyed.

"We can't take it out and move it to the bush," said Bourget. "We might as well just lock it up in a room and not feed it, because you'd be starving it to death. It just wouldn't be possible for it to hunt."

He said the three-legged coyote may be targeting garbage pails and people's pets for an easy food source.

The territorial government may scrap its trapping program at the airport altogether because the coyote problem there seems to have subsided, said Bourget.

Wildlife officers set traps after receiving complaints from airport officials that coyotes had been crossing the runway and causing near-collisions with aircraft.

No coyotes have been caught since traps were placed at the airport in December. In fact, few have been seen at all, said Bourget.

"If the coyotes are now avoiding the runway, there's really not much point in continuing with the trapping program."