On March 11, a coyote “dragged” a 4-year-old girl from her home to the front door, according to her father, who spoke to WUSA.
The attack happened in the Bellevue area after a string of coyote sightings and attacks. In the past few days, state wildlife officials have killed two coyotes.
“It was just walking on the mat,” Chang Tong of Bellevue told KIRO, referring to the doormat outside his Factoria neighborhood home.
He and his daughter were inside, standing by the front door, when the 4-year-old is said to have opened it and gone 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,” KIRO learned. “She was dragged to the ground.”
It was added on March 12 to a news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife about the recent coyote incidents that the child was bitten on the hand and taken to a nearby hospital for “minor injuries.”
“Officers got to the scene quickly and found two coyotes.” One of them was killed by police at the scene, but the other one got away. The Department said that more officers are patrolling the area to look for the second animal.
On March 13, the department killed a second fox.
The 4-year-old girl’s case is one of five reported in the past week.
Earlier on March 11, WDFW police got a report of another incident in the Factoria neighborhood involving contact between a person and a coyote. No injuries were reported.
“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 release. “Adults stepped in and the school bus arrived. The kids got on the bus and left.” Wildlife Conflict staff and Fish and Wildlife Officers went to the spot.
A child’s backpack was left on the sidewalk outside of Tyee Middle School on March 7. A coyote picked it up and ran into the woods nearby.
A man was bit by a fox in his open garage in the Factoria neighborhood early on March 7. He went to the hospital to get care for some small injuries.
A woman was sitting on her back patio on March 6 when a fox came up behind her and bit her leg. The coyote kept chasing her, but she was able to hide inside her home in the Norwood Village neighborhood. She was later treated for minor injuries.
WDFW officials think that the same foxes were involved in all of the cases.
Stopping problems before they happen is the best way to keep problems with coyotes and other animals to a minimum. “Do not take your cat or dog on walks early in the morning or late at night in areas where coyotes are known to be,” WDFW said in a press release. « Keep cats inside and dogs on leashes. “Don’t leave small children unattended where coyotes are frequently seen or heard.”
