WINNIPEG — Conservation officers have euthanized a coyote in response to recent attacks on children in Winnipeg's North Kildonan neighbourhood.
The province says the adult animal was located and removed from the area on Monday and has been sent for testing, and that conservation officers and the Manitoba Trappers Association continue to patrol the area for any other aggressive wildlife.
The latest attack on Friday evening involved a four-year-old child in the Headmaster Row area of North Kildonan, and the child has since been released from hospital.
It followed a coyote attack involving a nine-year-old boy on June 24, also in the North Kildonan area, where police said the child was walking with his teenaged sister.
Police said an area resident chased the coyote away and the boy was taken to hospital in stable condition.
The province says that while coyote attacks are extremely rare, it advises people to take extra precautions, especially with young children and small pets.
It says people should supervise children closely, feed pets indoors, keep animals on a leash and reduce attractants like food waste in yards such as fallen fruit, pet food, bird seed and garbage.
People are also cautioned against feeding wildlife. The province says making food available to coyotes, either directly or indirectly through feeding prey such as birds and rabbits, may attract coyotes and other predators to an area.
If a coyote is seen, people are encouraged to make noise, do what they can to appear large, stay in a group, and not run as that might incite a chase.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2023.
The Canadian Press
