Colorado wildlife officials are hunting for a coyote that attacked and injured a four-year-old girl on Thanksgiving.
The attack occurred on Thursday afternoon in a neighborhood east of Monument Creek – close to the Air Force Academy – in northern Colorado Springs, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife said on Saturday.
Witnesses said the little girl and another child had mistaken the coyote for a dog and surprised it after noticing it behind a tree.
The wild animal then lunged towards the girl and grabbed the back of her head.
The girl’s uncle managed to fight off the animal and the four-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries, officials said.
CPW said it was made aware of the attack on Friday when the child was released from hospital and has now launched a search to find the coyote.
CPW’s Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region, Tim Kroening, said: “This could have been much worse – a tragedy – if not for the quick action of the child’s uncle to stop the attack, rescue his daughter and scare the coyote off.
“We don’t know yet what brought the coyote into the yard with this child. 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. If you see them, throw rocks at them, yell at them. And if you notice aggressive behavior, call us immediately. We’ll try to remove any aggressive animals,” Kroening added.
