An extraordinary encounter between a woman, her dog and a pair of coyotes has been captured on camera in footage shared to Instagram.
Melissa Kennedy, from Toronto, Canada, was at home with Barkley, her Bernese mountain dog poodle mix, late on Saturday evening when she heard an unusual noise coming from a nearby park. “I went to the window because I thought a dog was in trouble,” she told Newsweek. “When I didn’t see people I knew it was coyotes.”
Coyote sightings are not entirely uncommon in downtown Toronto. According to official statistics, from January 1 to February 24, 2025, the city received 96 reports of coyotes in the area.
When Kennedy realized the noise she could hear was the sound of coyotes, she expected to find a pack of them in the park. Instead, she found two who, between them, were creating what is called an “auditory illusion.”
“It’s called the ‘beau geste effect,’ where a small group of coyotes makes themselves sound like a pack by distorting their voices,” Kennedy said. “It’s rare.”
That noise was what compelled her to venture outside with Barkley. “There’s lots of coyote sightings and videos, but this moment is special because we heard their voices,” she said. “They did this for several minutes.”
It makes for remarkable viewing and has proven popular on Instagram. Kennedy shared the clip to Barkley’s Instagram @barkley_the_pup where it has been liked over 5,300 times, racking up more than 400 comments in the process.
“Beautiful to see and hear,” one viewer wrote. “I love them, and I hope they have a wonderful new year,” another said. A third added: “Coyotes yelp like this when there’s prey around or they have caught one.”
That final comment chimed with Kennedy’s theory as to what the coyotes were up to. “I’m pretty sure they were working on a rabbit as they circled one house quite a bit where one lives—we have a lot of bunnies in the park,” she said.
Though the sight of two coyotes out in the open like this is special, it is tinged with sadness for Kennedy. “While this video is special, it’s quite sad why they are here more,” Kennedy said.
A report from the City of Toronto said that, though coyotes have lived in downtown areas for many years, an increase in the number of construction and redevelopment projects coupled with increased density and decreased green space has led to the displacement of wildlife such as coyotes with dens and territories paved over and forgotten.
It is a situation that has led to more conflicts between coyotes and other domestic pets, along with other worrying issues. There are growing calls for action to better manage the city’s coyote population. What Kennedy saw that night was rare. If things continue on as they are, it may get even rarer still.
