A 9-year-old child was attacked by a coyote that snagged a sock off the youngster who was playing a game of hide-and-seek in Oregon, according to authorities.
The 9-year-old and a 3-year-old were “playing hide-and-seek in their yard” when a wayward coyote approached them and chomped on the older child’s foot last week in Alameda, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department said in a press release.
The coyote then chased the 9-year-old until the child’s father, who was on the front porch, yelled at the rogue animal and scared it off, authorities said.
The child was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, authorities said. The child’s current condition is not immediately clear.
A day after the attack, authorities traveled to the scene to investigate and placed flyers around the neighborhood warning residents that a “concerning incident with a coyote had recently occurred,” the wildlife officials said.
The ODFW will continue to monitor the area for any signs of the coyote and is working with federal officials to determine next steps for “addressing the human safety situation,” the statement said.
The medium-sized mammals with pointed muzzles and long, bushy tails are found all across urban, suburban, rural, and natural landscapes in Oregon, officials said.
Feeding coyotes can elicit attacks and aggressive behavior.
Dave Keiter, a district wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told KATU the attack was a “very unusual incident.”
“The vast majority of encounters with coyotes are entirely benign,” Keiter told the outlet.
Alameda residents have been “strongly encouraged” to supervise their young children playing outside and to scare away coyotes by yelling, using airhorns, and creating other loud noises.
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