A 4-year-old Washington girl was “dragged” by a coyote just inches from the front door of her home on March 11, her father told local news.
The incident comes amid a string of coyote encounters and attacks in a Bellevue neighborhood, prompting state wildlife officials to lethally remove two coyotes in recent days.
“It was just walking on the mat,” Chang Tong of Bellvue told KIRO, referring to his doormat outside his home in the Factoria neighborhood.
He and his daughter were inside, standing by the front door, when the 4-year-old reportedly pushed the door open and stepped outside.
“She [was] about to pet on the dog at that time, and with just one second, the coyote just bit her hand and tried to drag her,” Tong told KIRO. “She was dragged to the ground.”
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife noted in a March 12 update to a press release about the recent coyote incidents that the child was bitten on the hand and taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for “minor injuries.”
“Officers quickly responded to the scene and located two coyotes. Officers were able to lethally remove one at the scene, however, the second ran away. Officers are increasing patrols in the area to locate the second animal,” the Department said.
The department fatally removed a second coyote on March 13.
The incident involving the 4-year-old girl is one of five reported over a week.
Earlier on March 11, WDFW officers received a report about another incident involving contact between a human and a coyote with no reported injuries in the Factoria neighborhood.
“Earlier that morning a coyote went up to a group of children waiting at a bus stop and made attempts to bite them, ripping some clothing and attempting to take a backpack,” WDFW said in a press release. “Adults at the scene intervened and the school bus arrived; the children left on the bus. Fish and Wildlife Officers and Wildlife Conflict staff responded to the scene.”
On March 7, a coyote picked up a child’s backpack left on a sidewalk outside Tyee Middle School and ran with it into nearby bushes.
Earlier on March 7, a coyote bit a man in his open garage in the Factoria neighborhood. He was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
On March 6, a woman was sitting on her back patio when a coyote approached her from behind and bit her on the leg. She was able to retreat inside her home in the Norwood Village neighborhood while the coyote continued to pursue her, and she was later treated for minor injuries.
WDFW authorities believe the same coyotes were involved in each incident.
“Prevention is the best tool for minimizing conflicts with coyotes and other wildlife. Keep cats inside, keep dogs leashed, and avoid early morning and late evening walks with your pet in areas where coyotes are known to be,” WDFW said in the press release. “Don’t leave small children unattended where coyotes are frequently seen or heard.”
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