4-year-old attacked on Thanksgiving in Colorado Springs, Parks and Wildlife ‘aggressively pursuing’ coyote responsible

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are “aggressively pursuing” a coyote they said attacked a 4-year-old girl on Thanksgiving.

They said the attack happened late Thursday afternoon in northern Colorado Springs, in a neighborhood east of Monument Creek and I-25, near the Air Force Academy.

According to CPW, witnesses told officials the girl was attacked when she and another child approached a coyote crouching behind a tree, thinking it was a dog. That’s when they said the coyote lunged at the girl, grabbing the back of her head, seriously injuring the girl. This resulted in an overnight stay at the hospital.

“This could have been much worse – a tragedy – if not for the quick action of the child’s father to stop the attack, rescue his daughter and scare the coyote off,” said Tim Kroening, CPW’s Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region through a press release.

CPW said they were told about the attack on Friday after the girl was released from the hospital, prompting a search for the coyote responsible.

As they search, wildlife officials are reminding everyone to be vigilant and cautious of their children and pets while living near areas with wildlife.

CPW has tips on hazing to keep coyotes wild and afraid of humans. You can find those here.

“Coyotes are omnivores and will eat anything, even tipping over garbage cans like bears do,” Kroening said in the release. “Typically when they get aggressive, it’s in the spring and they are protecting a nearby den where they have pups. Or it’s because someone in the area is feeding them.

“People nearby might be leaving pet food outdoors or actively feeding by throwing them scraps of food. That’s illegal and it’s a problem in urban areas,” he continued.

CPW said it’s impossible to identify the exact coyote, so they will be lethally removing any coyote in the vicinity of the attack, with the carcasses being sent to a health lab to be examined for human DNA and tested for diseases.

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