Markham Animal Services is looking into an incident where a 16-year-old girl was reportedly bitten by a coyote Thursday morning, according to York Regional Police.
This event took place around 8:15 a. m. near Mingay Avenue and Bur Oak Avenue. Police mentioned in a social media update that the girl was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Dennis Murray, a biology professor at Trent University, stated that it’s uncommon for someone to be bitten by a coyote in Ontario.
“It’s certainly out of the ordinary,” he said. “We don’t usually expect urban or semi-urban coyotes to be attacking people.”
Speaking generally and not about this specific situation, Murray noted that if someone approaches a coyote near its den site, it might react aggressively to protect its young. However, being bitten while simply walking in a park would be “a bit unusual and alarming,” he added.
Phartheeb Tanjore Kandasamy, who lives close to where the teen was reportedly bitten, told that he often sees coyotes early in the morning.
Tanjore Kandasamy expressed concern as a parent about encountering them and sometimes carries a stick on walking trails just in case.
“For kids, it’s not good,” he said.
Murray advised that anyone approached by a coyote should be “disproportionately loud” and avoid showing fear.
“It’s a time to be very assertive, even though your heart might be pounding,” he said.
“In most cases, that will be sufficient to deter the animal from pursuing things any further.”
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