Rangers capture coyote with human DNA on paws linking it to attack on Colorado preschooler
The coyote that attacked the girl didn't have rabies, officials said.
File: Coyote startles Oregon family
A surveillance video system outside a home in Portland, Oregon captured the moments a coyote ran after a small girl. Charlie Schmidt was spending time in his yard when the animal suddenly appeared. Schmidt said everyone was okay following the incident.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The coyote that attacked and seriously injured a 4-year-old girl on Thanksgiving Day has been caught.
Officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said they launched an investigation into finding which coyote caused the attack by watching out for coyotes that approached the area where the girl was injured.
After weeks of searching and trapping coyotes, one coyote was found with human DNA deep in its paw and human food in its stomach, leading CPW officials to believe that someone in the area is illegally feeding the animals.
"The good news is that this neighborhood is safe because we caught and removed the coyote that attacked the child on Thanksgiving," said Tim Kroening, CPW’s wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak area. "The bad news is that a 4-year-old child suffered serious injuries and her family was traumatized because someone was feeding wildlife."
Wildlife officials said the girl was attacked while she and another child approached the coyote, mistaking it for a dog.
COYOTE ATTACK ON PRESCHOOLER PROMPTS URGENT WARNING IN COLORADO SPRINGS
FILE: Brea, CA - September 21: One of two coyotes howls as it pauses along The Tracks at Brea Trail in Brea early on Saturday morning, September 21, 2024.
(Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register / Getty Images)
"Since we began our search, we routinely saw three coyotes that boldly approached houses and clearly had lost their fear of humans," Kroening said. "This tells us they were searching for food. As a result, we continue to investigate the source of the feeding."
Kroening said the coyote was removed from the area because of the threat it posed to other children in the area.
One other coyote was removed during the search. Necropsies were performed on both coyotes in order to determine which one caused the attack and to test the animals for diseases like rabies.
The coyote that attacked the girl didn't have rabies, Kroening said. The second coyote's carcass is still undergoing testing, he said.
Coyotes live all across Colorado and can be territorial if they find an opportunity within a city with food, water, cover and open space, wildlife officials said.
"Coyotes are omnivores and will eat anything," Kroening said. "Typically, they only get aggressive in the spring when they have pups in a den. Or they get aggressive because someone in the area is feeding them."
Anyone with information about wildlife feeding is asked to call CPW or report it anonymously to Operation Game Thief (OGT).
Kroening said he was glad CPW was able to provide the 4-year-old girl's family with some closure after the attack.