COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is searching for a coyote that attacked a 4-year-old girl in northern Colorado Springs on Thanksgiving Day.
The incident happened in the late afternoon on Thursday in a neighborhood east of Monument Creek and Interstate 25, not far from the Air Force Academy.
Witnesses told CPW that the girl was attacked when she and another child approached a coyote that was crouching behind a tree, thinking it was a dog. The coyote then lunged at the girl, grabbed the back of her head and seriously injured her.
The girl was treated at the hospital and discharged after an overnight stay, according to the agency.
“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, in a statement.
CPW said it learned of the attack on Friday after the girl was released from the hospital. Officers are "aggressively pursuing" the coyote.
Since it would be "impossible" to identify the exact coyote, CPW said it would "lethally remove any coyote it can find in the vicinity of the attack." The carcasses will then be sent to a lab to be examined for human DNA and tested for diseases, including rabies.
The agency believes the operation could take several days.
“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. That goes for deer, fox, bobcat, bears and other animals. Don’t let them get comfortable around people."
CPW is urging the community to be vigilant of their children and pets, especially around wildlife. The agency offers tips and safety information on its website.
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