4-year-old injured in second coyote attack in North Kildonan

4-year-old injured in second coyote attack in North Kildonan

A second coyote attack on a child in North Kildonan has authorites urging the public to be extra vigilant, especially if they have young children.

In a Sunday release, Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development said a four-year-old child was attacked by a coyote in the Headmaster Row area of North Kildonan on June 30 in the evening. The child was taken to hospital and has now been released.

The attack comes days after a nine-year-old child was attacked on June 24, also in North Kildonan.

The release says conservation officers are stepping up patrols of the area. A trapper from the Manitoba Trappers Association has also been hired to assist.

“While these attacks are rare, it important that people be vigilant, supervise children closely, feed pets indoors, keep animals on a leash and reduce attractants,” Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development said in the release.

“If a coyote is seen, people are encouraged to make noise, do what they can to appear large, stay in a group, and not run as that might incite a chase.”

The mother of the boy involved in the June 24 attack told the Free Press her son was recovering at home after being taken to hospital with a scalp wound.

In that incident, the boy was walking home with his older sister near Popko Crescent and Knowles Avenue around 6:45 p.m. when they spotted a coyote and tried to run away. The animal chased them, attacking the young boy.

A teenaged neighour helped rescue the boy and chased the coyote away with a shovel.

“It seemed aggressive,” said rescuer Logan Funk. “It seemed like it could’ve wanted more… because it stayed there. It wasn’t scared of all of us.”

He described the coyote as being about the size of a golden retriever.

More information on coyote behaviour can be found here.

Anyone with information on this attack is asked to call the Turn in Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-782-0076.

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