Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say they have captured and killed the coyote that attacked a 4-year-old girl near Colorado Springs on Thanksgiving.
The girl and another child saw the animal hiding behind a tree and mistook it for a dog. When the coyote was approached by the children, it bit the girl in the back of the head, causing serious injuries that required her to undergo multiple surgeries.
Parks officers initially said in a statement that this would be the case “impossible to identify the exact coyote” and announced plans to trap and kill all coyotes near the Air Force Academy where the attack occurred.
On Thursday, they reported that one of the coyotes killed had human DNA on its paws and human food in its stomach, leading the agency to conclude it was the animal responsible for the attack.
“The bad news is that a four-year-old child suffered serious injuries and her family was traumatized because someone was feeding wildlife,” said Tim Kroening, CPW area manager for the Pikes Peak region. said in a press release.
“Since we began our search, we regularly observed three coyotes boldly approaching homes and clearly having lost their fear of humans. This shows that they were looking for food. That is why we continue to investigate the source of the food.”
The agency killed two coyotes that showed up at the scene of the attack during the three-week search. The carcass of the suspected animal tested negative for rabies, while the second carcass is still being tested.
Coyotes are naturally afraid of humans, but can attack if fed, according to the state. Residents can prevent attacks by yelling or throwing rocks when they see coyotes in populated areas.
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