Reward offered after severed coyote paw found in trap in South Okanagan

A severed coyote paw was found in a trap in Osoyoos two months ago and witness accounts of a three-pawed coyote at large prompted a wildlife charity to post a reward for information.

The Fur-Bearers received multiple reports from Osoyoos residents of the coyote that has been spotted around Anarchist Mountain since the beginning of February, and the BC Conservation Officer Service is investigating.

“This coyote is suffering because of a trap which is not supposed to happen but does on occasion,” said executive director for the Fur-Bearers Lesley Fox.

“Under the trapping regulations, traps are not designed to sever paws, otherwise trappers would lose their catch.”

Fox said canids like coyotes and wolves are particularly strong and will start to twist off their legs in an effort to escape.

Headquartered in North Vancouver, the Fur-Bearers is a wildlife protection charity that works to protect fur bearing animals through conservation, advocacy, research and education.

The charity is offering $1,000 for the identification of the person responsible for the severed paw should trapping violations be determined, and is calling on anyone with information to come forward.

“There’s a lot of details we don’t know. We don’t know who set the trap or what animals they were targeting,” Fox said. “It certainly raises a lot of alarms when an animal that can do this is running at large.”

The trap was found on Anarchist Mountain but Fox couldn’t provide a more exact location. She said the trap was of an older style and one that isn’t typically used.

“It may not be a trapper, it could be someone who had these devices in their attic and was frustrated with a coyote coming onto their property and took things into their own hands.

“Coyotes can pose a danger to animals like backyard chickens or pets, but generally there are ways to co-exist with them.”

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the BC Conservation Officer Service RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.