Child injured by coyote during attack in Burnaby

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BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – A four-year-old is recovering after being attacked by coyote in the area of his home around Sperling Avenue and Broadway in Burnaby.

The BC Conservation Service says the attack happened on Tuesday at about 5:15 p.m., but we only learned of the attack a day later.

Sergeant Dean Miller with the service says the animal seemed habituated. “I don’t think anything in particular provoked the attack but the parents of the child just heard the child scream out for help in the front yard.”

He says when they ran to him, they found him laying on the ground. “With a coyote biting the child’s hand.”

It’s unclear how badly injured the boy may have been.

Miller says it’s key to never feed a coyote, even if it looks hungry. “If a coyote looks like it’s starving because it’s skinny, most likely it’s not. It’s just typically their body type.”

He’s reminding you it’s an offence to feed wildlife. “You shouldn’t be feeding wildfire in an urban area.”

Miller says attacks like this are rare and one reason why coyotes become habituated is because they’re hand-fed by people.

A coyote, matching the description given by the boy’s parents, was destroyed shortly after the attack.

 

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