A litter of coyote pups was trapped on Tuesday after the school district boarded up a den the mother had made beneath a portable at Marlborough Elementary.

Burnaby resident Bruce Causier caught the whole thing on film.

"The school workers had sealed the coyote puppies underneath the portable. The mother was all stressed out circling around the portable," Causier said, adding people had gathered to watch, including kids. "There were actually kids going up and kicking the boards. I had to approach the parents there and tell them they were putting their kids in a dangerous situation."

The recently discovered den was boarded up as a safety measure, but the pups were still inside, separated from their mother.

A concerned resident removed one of the boards after hearing cries from the trapped pups. The mother returned to the school grounds and paced relentlessly around the den, circling the portable. When darkness set in, she finally went under the building, emerging with four pups.

Dan Straker, a coordinator from Co-exiting with Coyotes, was planning to visit the den with a conservation officer on Wednesday morning.

"I'm going to make sure the mother has moved along and the pups are all gone," Straker said.

If the mom has not moved the pups, it's somewhat likely the coyotes will have to be placed with Critter Care, a mammal rehabilitation organization in Langley. The mom and pups could be separated if she doesn't move them to a safe place, Straker said.

"But that's not our preference, it's not our standard practice. It's because of the precarious position of the den," he said.

"On Friday, we'll be delivering a coyote awareness program to the school," Straker said.

Coexiting with Coyotes is a public awareness program about urban coyotes.

To see Causier's video, go to Jennifer Moreau's blog at www.burnabynow.com.

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