Strong reaction Monday after a Colchester County councillor called for extermination of coyotes in Nova Scotia

Mike Cooper, a councillor in Colchestor County says the animals are becoming too dangerous and called for the animals to be culled.

"Councillor Cooper has reacted in a typical knee jerk reaction," says animal advocate Bridget Curran.

"He's scare mongering, it's extremely irresponsible to talk about exterminating a species."

Biologist Bob Bancroft agrees and points out extermination efforts on coyotes have never worked.

"When this sort of thing happens, and there's good habitat for them the females simply have more young," says Bancroft.

"And it's been documented they will have up to 19 instead of the normal five or six."

Both Bancroft and Curran say a big problem is people feeding  wild coyotes.

Hunter and private wildlife control officer Mike Larade says exterminating coyotes is over the top. He says they're controlled now with regulated hunting and trapping.

Hunters can shoot coyotes year round in Nova Scotia because they're considered a nuisance.