Dallas boy recovering after coyote attack; 3 coyotes killed

A 2-year-old boy who was attacked by a coyote on the porch of his Dallas home is recovering after surgery, and officials searching for the coyote said Thursday that three that were acting aggressively have been killed.

The boy's father, Newton Thomas, told The Dallas Morning News in a text message Wednesday that his son underwent several hours of surgery and was in stable condition. The child was hospitalized in critical condition following the attack Tuesday morning.

Sam Kieschnick, an urban wildlife biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has said such attacks “are exceedingly rare.”

After the attack, police said an officer spotted a coyote in a park near the child’s home and opened fire, causing the animal to retreat into nearby woods. It wasn’t known if the officer wounded the animal.

Adam Henry, an urban biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said during a news conference Thursday that three aggressive coyotes had been killed since the attack.

He did not know if one of the coyotes killed was the one that attacked the child, but said the three matched the description of that coyote and exhibited similar behavior.

Brett Johnson, an urban biologist with Dallas Park and Recreation, said that when incidents like this happen, wild animals are usually being fed in the area, either intentionally or not.

“Don't feed the wildlife,” he said.

The attack came less than a week after a coyote attacked a 2-year-old girl on Southern California’s Huntington Beach. That coyote was later shot dead.