Coyote euthanized after attacks on children By: Chris Kitching Posted: 4:58 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 4, 2023 Last Modified: 5:51 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 4, 2023 Updates

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An adult coyote has been located and “humanely” euthanized after two children were attacked less than a week apart in a north Winnipeg neighbourhood, the province announced Tuesday.

The animal has been sent for testing, according to a news release, which did not state how the animal was captured Monday nor how it was euthanized.

The province did not say if the coyote was believed to be responsible for any of the attacks.

A nine-year-old boy was attacked while he was walking with his older sister near Popko Crescent and Knowles on June 24.

A four-year-old child was attacked in the Headmaster Row area June 30. The child has since been released from hospital.

The incidents are believed to be Manitoba’s first documented coyote attacks on humans.

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Traps had been set up near Knowles Avenue and Gateway Road, just south of the Perimeter Highway, while the search focused on dense bush close to homes and a church.

A coyote den was believed to be in the area and residents had recently spotted pups.

Nikki Slater, who spotted a coyote on Headmaster Row, just west of Lagimodiere Boulevard, on the day of the second attack, was happy to hear a coyote had been located.

“However, I’m on the fence as to whether it should have been euthanized,” she said. “I mean, I understand why it needed to happen, as I have a child I worry about, but I was hoping that maybe they would have relocated the coyote instead.

“But it does offer peace of mind that maybe the one that was attacking children is no longer around.”

Steve Halabura, who was approached by a coyote while out for a walk last month, said the province had to do something as a result of the attacks.

“It’s about time they did something about it,” said Halabura, who lives near the scene of the second attack.

The province hired a wildlife trapper Friday before the second mauling in North Kildonan, according to the Manitoba Trappers Association.

Manitoba Conservation officers continue to patrol the area and are working with a trapper to identify and remove any other aggressive coyotes that pose a threat, the province said.

“While coyote attacks are extremely rare, the province wants to take every precaution to protect the public and prevent any further incidents,” the news release stated. “The public is advised to take extra precautions, especially with young children and small pets.”

“Thank you to our conservation officers for their diligent work in protecting our neighbourhoods,” Natural Resources Minister Greg Nesbitt said in a statement. “As patrols continue in the North Kildonan area to ensure public safety, I urge everyone to remain vigilant, exercise caution, and practice responsible behaviour when encountering wildlife.”

The victim of the first attack received 24 stitches or staples to close wounds on the back of his head, his mother told the Free Press last week. He also had severe puncture wounds to his legs.

“(That) tells me that even if my kids hazed him it wouldn’t have made a difference.”–Mother

The siblings were waiting for the coyote to move past them when it “stared them down and then lunged for them,” their mother said.

The boy was mauled while the children attempted to flee.

After hearing screams, a neighbour grabbed a shovel and chased the coyote away.

Despite being hit off her son with a shovel, the animal hung around and waited to be chased off further, the mother said.

“(That) tells me that even if my kids hazed him it wouldn’t have made a difference,” she added, referring to the act of scaring a coyote away.

Hazing often involves loud yelling or noises, or making oneself appear larger.

Multiple researchers had said this is peak season for conflict between coyotes and humans because pups are emerging from dens.

Adult coyotes could become defensive while protecting their offspring from humans or animals, the researchers said.

People should make noise, make themselves appear large and refrain from running if they see a coyote because it could incite a chase, the province said.

If possible, stay in groups.

People who live in the area of the attacks were advised to watch their children closely, feed pets indoors, keep animals on a leash and reduce attractants, including food, food waste or pet waste in yards.

Never feed wildlife, the province said.

It said Manitobans should store garbage in a secure building or container, compost food items where they are inaccessible to wildlife, and clean up spilled bird seed or fallen fruit to avoid attracting coyotes or animals they prey on.

Coyotes that have been fed by people will become comfortable approaching people and increasingly aggressive, the news release stated.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.