A peaceful Thanksgiving afternoon turned into a nightmare for one Colorado family when a 4-year-old girl was attacked by a coyote just outside her home in Colorado Springs. According to wildlife officials, the child mistook the wild animal for a friendly dog and walked right up to it. That’s when things took a terrifying turn.
The coyote lunged at her without warning, grabbing the back of her head. Her father, just steps away, rushed in to break up the attack and managed to scare the animal off. She was rushed to the hospital and treated for serious head injuries. Thankfully, she’s expected to recover.
Coyotes Are Getting Too Comfortable Around People
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says it’s rare—but not unheard of—for coyotes to get aggressive with humans. And when they do, it’s often in areas where animals have started associating people with food.
That’s a big problem.
When coyotes lose their fear of humans, they start getting bolder—wandering into neighborhoods, approaching kids, and in this case, launching a full-on attack. Wildlife officials are now tracking coyotes in the area and plan to humanely remove any that match the behavior and location of the attacker. They’ll be tested for diseases like rabies and checked for any human DNA.
How to Keep Wild Animals ‘Wild’ (and You Safe)
This kind of incident shakes people up—and it should. Coyotes live all over North America, including in major cities, and they aren’t going anywhere. But there are things we can all do to keep them at a safe distance:
- Don’t feed wildlife—on purpose or by accident. That means locking up trash and not leaving food outside.
- Teach your kids that not every animal is friendly—even if it looks like a dog.
- If you see a coyote acting bold or sticking around too long, report it to local wildlife officials.
This wasn’t a random wilderness encounter—it happened right outside someone’s front door. The line between wild and suburban keeps getting thinner, and that means staying alert matters more than ever.
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