(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region reported that its officers and other agencies are partnering in an “aggressive hunt” for a coyote that attacked a 4-year-old girl on Thanksgiving Day in northern Colorado Springs.
According to CPW, officers are investigating the attack, which occurred in the late afternoon on Thursday, Nov. 28, near Interstate 25, east of the Monument Creek neighborhood and just south of the Air Force Academy.
Witnesses say that the girl was attacked when she and another child, thinking that the coyote was a dog, approached it while it was crouching behind a tree. CPW said the coyote lunged at the girl and grabbed the back of her head, inflicting serious injuries. The girl was taken to the hospital and released the following day.
“This could have been much worse – a tragedy – if not for the quick action of the child’s father to stop the attack, rescue his daughter, and scare the coyote off,” said Tim Kroening, CPW’s Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region.
CPW was informed of the attack on Friday, Nov. 29, and immediately began organizing the search.
Coyotes live across Colorado and adapt well to urban areas, where they find shelter and easy meals, and can become territorial over those areas. Like most wildlife, coyotes are naturally afraid of people but can become bold and aggressive if they are sick, hungry, or protecting their young.
“Coyotes are omnivores and will eat anything, even tipping over garbage cans like bears do,” Kroening said. “Typically when they get aggressive, it’s in the spring and they are protecting a nearby den where they have pups. Or it’s because someone in the area is feeding them. People nearby might be leaving pet food outdoors or actively feeding by throwing them scraps of food. That’s illegal and it’s a problem in urban areas.”
It’s impossible for CPW and its partners to identify the exact coyote that attacked the little girl, so the agency said it is necessary to “lethally remove” any coyote it can find in the area of the attack. The bodies of the coyotes will be sent to a health lab to be examined for the presence of human DNA and tested for diseases like rabies.
As CPW searches for the coyote, the agency urges people to be vigilant over the safety of their children and pets when living among wildlife. CPW offers important tips for people to protect them and keep coyotes wild and afraid of humans.
“We don’t know yet what brought the coyote into the yard with this child,” Kroening said. “But it’s an important reminder to everyone to be alert and haze wild animals away from their homes and neighborhoods… Don’t let them get comfortable around people. If you see them, throw rocks at them, yell at them. And if you notice aggressive behavior, call us immediately.”
Kroening expects the search operation to continue for several days and asks for the public’s cooperation and understanding.
