The Ministry of Natural Resources is now probing the deaths of six coyotes in the London area.
There are unconfirmed reports two more dead animals were found in Ailsa Craig on Friday.
Ministry officials tell BlackburnNews.com they are working with the appropriate local authorities to determine if this most recent discovery is linked to two other cases in the region.
Last week, the first pair of dead coyotes was discovered at Western University, near a walking trail on campus. The second pair was found shortly after in Parkhill, both of those animals had their heads removed.
In each case, the coyotes have been placed beside each other in fairly public areas. The motive for the killings is unclear.
"There have been reports of (coyote) attacks on pets in these areas, but the pets have been away from their owners or alone in a backyard," says Brandon Williamson with the Upper Thames Valley Conservation Authority. "They will get fairly close, within 50m or so of a human, but generally they don't get much closer. In certain cases they will (get closer) if you have pets, but they should be able to be scared off by an adult. Someone could take matters into their own hands if coyotes are getting too close for comfort. Why they would be bringing them to these locations, I have no clue. There is lots of natural habitat for coyotes within the city."
There is an open season on hunting coyotes at this time of year, but officials say the way in which the animals have been staged in each case is strange.
