A 4-year-old Colorado girl was attacked by a coyote on Thanksgiving Day after approaching the wild animal, mistaking it for a dog, according to state officials, who are now “hunting” the animal.
According to officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the incident occurred late in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“The agency is reminding everyone to be cautious of their children and pets when living near wildlife,” the Colorado Parks and Wildlife statement read.
According to park officials, the kid was assaulted when she and another child “approached a coyote crouching behind a tree, thinking it was a dog.”
“The coyote lunged at the girl, grabbing the back of her head, inflicting serious injuries that resulted in an overnight stay at a hospital,” according to the park’s statement.
“This could have been much worse — a tragedy — if not for the child’s father’s quick action to stop the attack, rescue his daughter, and scare the coyote off,” Tim Kroening, Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region, said in a statement released by the wildlife agency.
According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency, the 4-year-old girl was released from the hospital following the incident, and officers are now on the lookout to “pursue the coyote” and hunt it.
According to the agency, even if it is “impossible to identify the exact coyote, CPW and its partners will lethally remove any coyote it can find in the vicinity of the attack.” According to the wildlife department, any “carcasses” collected from killing coyotes in the region where the attack occurred “will be sent to a health lab to be examined for human DNA and tested for diseases, like rabies.”
“We don’t know yet what brought the coyote into the yard with this child,” Kroening, the Aeea Wildlife Manager, said in his statement. “But it’s an essential reminder for everyone to stay vigilant and keep wild animals away from their homes and neighbourhoods.
That applies to deer, foxes, bobcats, bears, and other creatures. Don’t allow them become too comfortable around people. If you spot them, hurl rocks and holler at them. If you detect any aggressive behaviour, please contact us immediately. We will strive to remove any violent animals.”