Father jumps into action after wild animal attacks children in backyard: 'Strongly encouraged to monitor'

A father sprang into action when he realized a coyote had bitten his child's foot.

What's happening?

According to The Oregonian, two children, 3 and 9, were playing in their backyard in Portland, Oregon, in October. A coyote approached the 9-year-old and bit their foot, but the 3-year-old child wasn't harmed physically.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stated in a press release that the 9-year-old was only wearing socks. Because of this, they shook their foot free from the coyote and got away.

When the coyote started chasing the 9-year-old, their father started yelling from the front porch. The coyote ran away, and the child went to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

Two weeks later, the ODFW updated its press release to say that the coyote had been "captured and humanely killed." This happened in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Forensics Lab.

Why are human-wildlife encounters concerning?

Human-wildlife encounters occur more frequently as animals lose their habitats, either through development or a changing ecosystem. Wildlife often has no choice but to move closer to humans.

While the coyote involved in this incident was killed, euthanization and hunting may not be effective on a large scale.

A study published in the journal Ecography found that human hunting of coyotes doesn't necessarily help to lower coyote population numbers. Unless hunting is consistently happening at high levels, it could actually cause coyote numbers to go up.

More coyotes around could increase the risk of dangerous human-wildlife encounters, putting human health and safety at risk. Excessive coyotes could endanger the balance of our ecosystems, too, so finding more effective population management strategies is a must.

What's being done about human-wildlife encounters?

To keep everyone safe in the meantime, the ODFW's press release had some recommendations.

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"Residents in the Alameda neighborhood are strongly encouraged to monitor young children playing outside, especially toddlers," the press release said. "Scare away coyotes (through yelling, airhorns, banging pots and pans, throwing objects) whenever possible, and immediately remove any attractants."

Other tips for everyone include keeping your pets secure, staying away from coyotes (and other wildlife), and removing food sources. That last tip is crucial to avoid unintentionally inviting any wildlife that could be dangerous into your backyard.

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