Photo: Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty
Chicago officials are investigating a series of coyote attacks that left three victims hospitalized with injuries.
Over the past two weeks, at least 10 coyote sightings have been reported, with four of those involving some kind of attack on a human or animal, according toCBS affiliate WBBM.
A spokesperson with the Chicago Police Department tells PEOPLE that there were two coyote attacks on Wednesday evening — one involving a 5-year-old boy, the other a 32-year-old man.
Just 40 minutes after the attack, a Twitter user spotted a coyote two blocks away from the Lincoln Park Zoo andmanaged to capture a videoof the wild animal limping as it roamed the Chicago streets. (It is unclear if this coyote was the same one who attacked the boy.)
Later that evening, the CPD spokesperson says a man was walking on the sidewalk of the 700 block of N. Fairbanks when “a coyote came from behind and bit him in the buttocks.”
The victim checked himself into Northwestern Hospital “with a scratch to the buttocks” and was listed in good condition, with an expectation to be treated and released.
Chicago Police and Animal Care and Control laterconfirmed on Facebookthat they were dispatched to the scenes on Wednesday and are currently investigating the incidents.
The back-to-back incidents weren’t the only coyote trouble that the city has seen recently.
The coyote eventually dropped Ki-Ki and ran when a stranger began throwing shoes in its direction. The 8-month-old pup, however, was rushed to the vet, underwent emergency surgery, and suffered injuries to her leg, head, and nasal cavity, WBBM reported.
In addition, several city residents have reported coyote sightings extending from the North Side and Lincoln Park to Old Town and the old Cabrini-Green area, according to WBBM.
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At this time, it is unclear why the city has seen an increase in coyote sightings lately.
Animal experts from Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute spoke to WBBM and said they believe coyotes have adjusted to city living due to the food that’s available, such as rodents.
“In general, coyotes are adapting to cities. They’re doing better and better over time as they learn how to make use of these urban landscapes that we’ve created,” Seth Magle, a spokesperson from the institute, told the outlet. “I feel confident in saying I think that their numbers are generally on the upswing.”
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TheHumane Society of the United Statessaid that coyote attacks on humans are rare, especially because the wild animals are nocturnal and tend to feed on small mammals.
In the event that a person comes into contact with a coyote, the HSUS advises that people stand their ground, shout, and throw something in the coyote’s direction — a tactic known as hazing, which can reinstill their natural fear of humans.
If a coyote does happen to bite a person, it is mandated that it be targeted and removed from the population, according to the HSUS. Most health officials will require that the coyote be tested for rabies, which also requires the animal to be killed.
source: people.com
