Seems that yet again we have had a wildlife human encounter that was anything but good.
BOY INJURED BY COYOTE IN WELD COUNTY
DENVER, Colo. – A nine year-old boy from Erie suffered a minor injury Thursday afternoon when a coyote snapped at him on the Vista Ridge Golf Course in Erie. The boy and his brother were snowboarding and had stopped at the bottom of a hill at about 3:30 pm when the coyote approached, circled the boy, and lunged at him twice.
After the incident, the boy returned home, where his mother contacted the Erie Police Department to report the attack. She then took the boy to Children’s Hospital Clinic. He was released early Friday morning.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife worked with assisting agencies to track and locate the offending coyote. A coyote was found in proximity to the incident and subsequently killed. It has been sent to the DOW Fort Collins lab for testing, which is standard procedure after an incident such as this.
“Coyotes are naturally fearful of humans, but occasionally a coyote becomes aggressive and must be removed for public safety,” said Larry Rogstad, Area Wildlife Manager. “It is imperative that people report encounters with aggressive coyotes right away so that we can monitor the activity and intervene when necessary.”
Most conflicts between people and coyotes are due to someone feeding these wild animals, whether intentionally or otherwise. The DOW strongly discourages feeding of wild animals, including coyotes. Coyotes also cause concern for pet owners, as these animals view pets as a threat, prey, or possibly even a mate.
If a coyote approaches you:
–Be as Big, Mean, and Loud as possible
-Wave your arms and throw objects at the coyote
-Shout in a deep, loud and authoritative voice
-DO NOT RUN or turn your back on the coyote
-Face the coyote and back away slowly
-If attacked, fight back with your fists and feet
The DOW encourages members of the public who encounter an aggressive coyote to immediately call 303-291-7227. If the incident occurs after business hours, contact the Colorado State Patrol (303-239-4501).
To learn more about living with coyotes, visit the DOW web page, at:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/Mammals/CoyoteCountry.htm
The Town of Erie offers additional information on living near coyotes on their website. Visit www.erieco.gov and select “Coyotes – FAQs” from the Living in Erie section.
For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.
Tags: coyote attack, coyote's, environmental politics, human wildlife encounter, living with Wildlife, News
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 
December 6, 2008 at 16:17
So the coyote was demanding food or something, or saw the boy as prey? Either way, not so fun for the kid. One time I was walking down San Gorgonio here in So Cal and I came across a big bear and her cub. She took off like the Olympic Gold medal winner, for some reason, and I hotfooted it as fast as I could without running. (I didn’t want her to think I was running after her.) Man, did I breathe a sigh of relief to get through that without incident!
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December 6, 2008 at 17:05
ROARS LAUGHING!
I had an almost identical encounter about forty years ago. I was on the east slope of Palomar mountain, about a mile from an honor camp that the county ran there. I was walking along, and, like a ghost, a cougar appeared on the trail just ahead of me.
He did a one-eighty so fast that it was just a blur. I did the same thing, and turned on the afterburners!
If that’s San Gorgonio area, near Temecula, it’s a small world! That general area was my “stomping grounds” when I was growing up.
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December 7, 2008 at 19:27
There’s a large bobcat roaming UC Irvine, about the size of a mature German Shepard. It has no fear of people as I can testify having watched it lazily loping along down the main walkway looking for rabbits and people’s pet dogs. If some kid should manage to accidently corner it or have some food that it wanted, it’s quite likely that there would be an incident.
I called animal control about trapping and moving it, and the response I got was ” . . they were here first” and a refusal to anything. Which is interesting since Irvine is well surrounded with housing tracts and this is the first time in 20 years that I’ve seen a Bobcat on campus.
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December 7, 2008 at 19:45
That is some kind of HUGE Bobcat K11. I’m thinking it’s actually a different critter. All the same you might want to circulate some of the links that were posted about living with wildlife.
That, and contact California Fish and Game, not animal control.
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