What to Know
- In separate incidents between Feb. 10-13, three children were reportedly bitten by a coyote while at a North Arlington park adjacent to an elementary school.
- An aggressive coyote who charged at police and animal control officers on Thursday morning was captured and will be tested for rabies.
- The three children who were bitten have been treated and released from the hospital and will receive post-exposure rabies treatment.
A coyote believed to have been responsible for attacking at least three children in separate incidents at Parkway Central Park in North Arlington was captured on Thursday morning, city officials say.
According to Arlington officials, because of the reported aggressive coyote activity at the adjacent park an animal control officer and a police officer were present on Thursday morning for "pedestrian safety during school drop-offs at Jones Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language."
The city said the officers saw the coyote on a road near the park and that it charged them.
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Arlington Police Sgt. Eric Belisle said that the coyote was spotted walking around the park Thursday morning, which was unusual since coyotes are generally more active after sunset. Belisle said an animal control officer later spotted the coyote in a ditch and that it started baying and howling, which was also unusual.
"This animal was completely unusual because … it started walking toward me. I've never seen a coyote do that," Belisle said. "They spot you and they get out of the area quickly. This animal was completely different."
"[The] coyote came up a little knoll and got within about 10 yards from my location. When I deployed the less lethal rounds, the less lethal rounds struck a coyote completely stunned him. He laid back down and we moved in and was able to get the coyote under control," Belisle added.
Belisle said the gun he used contained foam bullets but was effective, and he encouraged other officers to deploy the same weapon in case of another aggressive encounter.
"I've been doing this for 18 years, but on the streets. I've never seen that coyote that's not skittish of human beings," he said.
Ashley Woolnough, animal services manager for the city of Arlington, said there's no way to be 100% sure the animal captured Thursday was the same one that attacked the three children. However, because of the coyote's unusual behavior, they hope they've captured the right one.
She said the animal will be humanely euthanized; it is illegal to relocate them.
"It would cause undue stress, undue harm to them because they don't know the areas that they would be relocated to. They don't know where resources are," she said.
She added that it also had to be euthanized to be tested for rabies, saying that it would be transported to Texas Health and Human Services in Austin to be tested. Test results are expected on Friday. If the coyote is positive for rabies, other coyotes in the area may be captured and euthanized as well.
Woolnough said the coyote's behavior was more consistent with an animal that may have become habituated toward people, or accustomed to being around them, and not necessarily symptoms of being rabid.
Parkway Central Park remains closed until further notice and the city said they still plan to partner with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Wildlife Service to evaluate the area and to try to determine the number of coyotes in the area.
"Seeing how many we have, where the problems lie and essentially removing problem and nuisance coyotes," Woolnough explained.
She said once wildlife biologists determine the area is free of habituated coyotes, the park will be reopened.
Until then, she said police and animal services officers will continue to monitor kids during drop-off and pick-up times.
Code Compliance Director Brian Daugherty said in a statement that coyotes can be found throughout Arlington and that while sightings may be common aggressive encounters have been rare and that the animals are typically afraid of people.
“Public Safety is our priority and the City of Arlington had not previously experienced any coyote attacks. Coyotes and other wildlife are now part of our urban environment, and we need to find the best way to coexist,” Daugherty said. “There are always measures to take when walking paths and neighborhoods when you could come into contact with wildlife. Should you encounter wildlife, be sure to not engage with them and definitely do not feed them. Should you feel threatened be sure to make yourself as large as possible and appear intimidating. You can also bring whistles, air horns and walking sticks as an added deterrent.”
Residents are encouraged to make online reports of coyote sightings in Arlington by visiting the City’s Action Center webpage and scrolling down to “Wildlife Sighting.”
“If you do spot wildlife, we encourage you to report it on our website so it can be appropriately tracked and addressed with our Animal Services staff,” Daugherty said.
The city said any animals caught would be tested for rabies – and the victims' families would be notified of the results.
ONE CHILD VICTIM'S RECOVERY PROGRESS
Thomas Sweta said it's still hard for his son, Trevor, to step foot outside of their home.
"He's still in a state of shock," he said.
On Monday, he and his toddler were at Parkway Central Park when a coyote snuck up behind Sweta and pounced on Trevor.
"One thing I noticed with him is sometimes even when you want him to lie down, he doesn't want to because the animal did put him down," Sweta said.
Sweta, who was holding his 18-month-old, said he jumped and fell, hurting his arm, but was able to fight off the coyote, snapping a quick picture before rushing Trevor to the hospital.
"It's still something that is very fresh on my mind right now," Sweta said.
Sweta said the hospital reported the attack to animal services, and he followed up himself with the agency on Tuesday. But when NBC 5 asked the agency about the attack, a spokesperson said they did not know about it.
On Thursday, NBC 5 followed up, asking how Sweta's case could have fallen through the cracks.
"Unfortunately, the report that we got was from the hospital and had very minimal information in it. We tried, we couldn't get in contact with the phone number that was provided but the circumstances that the email shared was similar to the first bite so unfortunately, we did assume that it was a duplicate report of the first bite," Woolnough said.
NBC 5 asked if animal services would have shut down the park sooner, possibly preventing the third attack that ended up happening the next day.
"Potentially, yes," Woolnough said.
In a previous interview, Woolnough said they didn't post any warning signs about the first coyote attack on Saturday because they thought it was a rare occurrence, and it wouldn't happen, again.
Sweta thinks the city should have made the public aware after that first attack, and said his son could have been spared.
He said he's glad an aggressive coyote is now off the streets, believing it would have attacked even more kids.
"It was one of the horrifying moments just for me and my family," he said.
He said he's now trying to find a way to celebrate the miracle of life for Trevor.
"I'll have to invite the grandma to come over. He's a very good friend of the grandma," Sweta said.
Especially on his fourth birthday, as Trevor gets rabies shots instead of sheet cake.
"Of course he likes cars. So, there's Monster Jam coming up I think, sometime this month. So, I'm going to take him to AT&T for some Monster Jam and just try to make sure I can cheer him up a little bit," Sweta said.
THREE CHILDREN BITTEN BY COYOTE NEAR ARLINGTON PARK
The first reported attack happened on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Parkway Central Park located in the 600 block of Van Buren Drive near Lamar Boulevard and Cooper Street, according to the City of Arlington.
The Arlington Police Department said the victim was a little girl. After Saturday's incident, the city said another child was attacked by a coyote Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday evening, Arlington Police and Animal Services officers were again called to the park after a little boy was bitten by what is believed to be the same coyote.
"Usually, it's a learned behavior. And just the repetition for it to be two different animals is, the likelihood, I would think, is lower. But, I mean, we could be wrong in that," Woolnough had said.
A spokesperson for animal services said the children attacked on Saturday and Tuesday "had puncture wounds on an extremity," and both were released after being treated for those injuries.
City officials said after the first attack, animal services officers patrolled the park and set a trap but were unsuccessful in catching the coyote.
Following Tuesday's attack, Parkway Central Park was closed, and more patrols took place overnight.
On Wednesday morning, Arlington Police used a drone to search the area near the park by air, and animal control officers set up three traps and game cameras.
NBC 5 photojournalist Juan Rodriguez recorded a video of a coyote in front of homes along Van Buren and running through the park as children walked home from school.
A father of two who lives across the street from the park told NBC 5 that he was concerned after seeing the police presence.
"That closeness of my kids, [they] could be out in the yard at any point, and so I just want to be more cognizant of what is going on," said Rasheen Sinclair.
On Wednesday night, city animal services crews were shooting non-lethal rounds and shining flashlights into the brush throughout the park, trying to capture the animals.
According to the police department, officers will be on hand indefinitely before and after school to watch out for children who attend a nearby elementary school and residents who live within the park's proximity.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A COYOTE?
If you're out on a walk or playing in the park and encounter a coyote, there are a few things you can do to stay safe as we coexist.
- Do NOT turn and run. Instead, look the animal in the eye and back up slowly.
- Make loud noises by yelling or talking loudly. Try to appear bigger than you are by holding out your arms or by holding them in the air. This act of "hazing" can be intimidating and may make the animal afraid to come any closer.
- Create some distance between you and the animal by slowly backing up or by carrying a stick you can use to keep the animal at bay.
- If there is a rock or stone nearby, hold it and/or use it to throw it at the animal to convince it not to follow you.
- When going out for a walk, carry a whistle, air horn, or a can of rocks -- anything that makes a lot of noise could intimidate the animal.
- Animals like coyotes are generally not aggressive toward humans and they try to avoid contact with people. A coyote that has become habituated to humans, or used to being around them, will be less inclined to run away and may be more aggressive toward people. To prevent coyotes from becoming habituated, it's recommended people avoid leaving food or trash around as easy food sources and that people repeatedly haze a coyote to discourage future encounters.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife offers the following resources for coexisting with urban coyotes.
