On Tuesday morning about 8:30 a.m. in Dallas’ Lake Highlands neighborhood, a 2-year-old boy was critically injured after being attacked by a coyote on the front porch of his Dallas home, police say.
In a statement, officials said that a 2-year-old boy was sitting on the front porch when he was attacked by a coyote.
Anthony Divenuti a neighbor who lives directly across the street said:
“It’s gut-wrenching,”
“That little boy was sitting on his front porch, and that animal came right up to the porch, unfazed whatsoever, and attacked him.”
The 2-year-old was rushed to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Following the attack, an officer was able to locate the coyote near a park on Royalpine Drive and “fired shots at the animal,” which then retreated into the woods. It is unknown if the animal was struck.
Police are now actively searching for the coyote and have warned anybody in the area to “be on alert and consider this animal extremely dangerous.”
Around 3 p.m., Dallas Animal Services said the coyote had been located, isolated in a wooded area.
During an investigation into the attack, an animal service says it was revealed that the coyote was well-known in the neighborhood, and residents had been feeding and petting it.
They wrote in a statement:
“Residents were routinely hand-feeding and petting it.”
“This behavior eroded the coyote’s natural fear of humans and gave it the confidence to carry out this attack.”
“This tragic incident shows why it is critical that residents treat all wildlife as wild animals — when wild animals become too comfortable around humans, there is an increase in problematic and dangerous interactions such as this one that put both residents and the animal itself at risk,” they wrote, noting that by nature, “coyotes are generally reclusive animals who prefer to avoid human contact.”
Animal services say anyone who sees a coyote should call 911 and not approach it. Making loud noises, such as banging pots and pans, should help scare it off.
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Sources: Washingtonexaminer, Usatoday, Independent