ONTARIO — While Grey County saw the most predator kills of farm animals in Western and Southwestern Ontario, there were more kills in three other counties — all in Eastern Ontario — in 2020.
Coyotes massacred 209 sheep in Lennox and Addington in 2020, including swiping 70 sheep from just one farm located on an island near Kingston. The annual stats are compiled by Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as the entity that reimburses municipalities for farmer compensation claims triggered by wildlife killing livestock.
There was a single cougar attack in Western Ontario — out of three recorded in the province last year — with one sheep in Huron County killed by the elusive feline species.
In all, Ontario farmers lost 1,431 animals to coyotes last year, more than any other predator.
Lennox and Addington saw the most predator kills in the province at 212, followed by Durham Region with 147 predator kills and Lanark County with 138 kills.