Dallas Animal Services had to use lethal force on a coyote after receiving reports about its dangerous behavior in a local neighborhood.

What happened?

According to the Advocate, the agency started receiving reports in September of dangerous coyote behavior near Lake Highlands Trail, White Rock Trail, and Church Road. The reports continued, and though authorities attempted to ward off the animal, these attempts did not work. As such, animal services were forced to lethally remove a coyote from the area Oct. 8. 

This isn't the first time area residents have run into trouble with coyotes, either. In 2022, coyotes attacked a 2-year-old child on their front porch, requiring the child to be hospitalized with critical injuries. City officials suggested that residents had encouraged the coyotes to remain by handfeeding them, indicating the attack was their responsibility and drawing immense outrage from locals. 

The attack on the child led officials in the area to increase efforts to educate residents about coyotes, though. Additionally, Dallas Animal Services created and implemented a new management program for the wild animals, and the city now offers residents an interactive map of reported coyote sightings.

Why is this incident concerning?

Any human-wildlife encounter can go wrong, but when wild animals are already exhibiting dangerous behavior, that risk increases.

Such encounters can cause injury or, in some cases, even death. These encounters are harmful to wild animals as well, as authorities will often euthanize them after the fact, even if a human provoked the animal, contributing to population depletion and hindering conservation efforts. 

Unfortunately, too often, these human-wildlife encounters aren't the fault of the animal. Growth in human populations, extreme weather, and climate change have all contributed to wildlife losing their habitats, forcing them into closer proximity to humans as they hunt for the resources they need.

Because this forced proximity increases the likelihood of human-wildlife interactions, more wild animal attacks occur.

What's being done about coyotes in the Dallas area?

Dallas Animal Services continued monitoring the area in the weeks after the attack and held events to raise awareness and educate the public. 

Authorities also recommended that residents report sightings of coyotes to a hotline and refrain from feeding them, as this encourages them to return.

Additionally, Dallas Animal Services stressed that residents should keep pets inside or in a coyote-proof area if they are outside at all and encouraged people to make plenty of noise if a coyote wanders onto their property to scare it off.

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