Texas toddler hospitalized after coyote attack on front porch

A toddler in Texas was hospitalized after he was attacked by a coyote on his front porch.

The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Dallas. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where he remains in critical condition.

“It’s gut-wrenching,” neighbor Anthony Divenuti told CBS 46. “That little boy was sitting on his front porch, and that animal came right up to the porch, unfazed whatsoever, and attacked him.”

A police officer who was coming to the scene spotted the animal at a nearby park and shot at it, but it is unclear if the coyote was wounded.

Dallas Animal Services said later Tuesday that the animal was located in a wooded area. During the agency’s investigation, it was revealed that other neighbors had been feeding the coyote and even petting it while other neighbors had lodged numerous complaints about the animal.

Sam Kieschnick, an urban wildlife biologist who works for the state of Texas, told the Associated Press that the animal would not have been comfortable approaching the child if it had not been fed by others.

However, Kieschnick said, coyote attacks on humans are incredibly rare.

“This tragic incident shows why it is critical that residents treat all wildlife as wild animals,” said animal services in a statement.

With News Wire Services