Posted on 10/06/2005 7:04:45 PM PDT by george76
A grandfather hiking a trail...with his 4-year-old grandson was attacked yesterday by a coyote, but saved the youngster by grappling with the animal as it continued to bite him.
Arthur Cole, 76, was attacked...by a 40-pound gray coyote, according to police. He was bitten several times but his injuries were not life-threatening.
His grandson, Nicholas, escaped unhurt and ran the half-mile to his grandparents' house...
When Arthur's wife and Nicholas' dad asked, "Where's Grampy?" the youngster replied, "A wolf got him," ...
Peter Cole, who was visiting his parents, jumped into his truck, drove to the development's community center and ran down the trail. "I was yelling for my father. He yelled to me, and he was lying on top of the coyote," ... "I tried to kill it, but there was nothing I could really do."
Peter called 911 on his cell phone and police and firefighters arrived.
"We got there and found the guy on top of the animal," firefighter Jamie Desautels said. "The guy basically saved his grandson."
Firefighters used a snare to restrain the female coyote, which continued to bite Cole...
Police then killed the coyote. "We basically choked the animal to death," Police Sgt. James Bruce said.
"The coyote attacked Arthur from behind," ...
"There was a struggle," Dave Cole said. "It went away and came back, and leaped for his neck."
...the cause of the attack is undetermined, but it was unprovoked. The female coyote may have been protecting her pups...
Bruce said residents in the housing development were being notified by the community center at the complex.
He cautioned residents to be aware and alert while walking near woods. Police don't know if there are other coyotes in the area...
(Excerpt) Read more at metrowestdailynews.com ...
I don't know the answer to that. All I know is that regardless of the reason, coyotes are not as docile as some on this post are leading you on to believe. if they are hungry, they will hunt and if they feel they have the upper edge on whatever prey is in front of them the they will attack. Be careful and keep an eye on yours.
Yay!!! I love Freepers, they're sooo smart.
The firemen responded very quickly to arrive while the 70+ year old grandfather was still on the wolf! The timeline seems problematic for all of the events that are reported here.
Now, see there? You didn't KNOW you were gonna need to do that, but you went out there prepared anyway; and had the right tool close at hand. If everyone were as levelheaded as you, we wouldn't read many stories like this one.
You go up into the Sierra Nevada to camp, you'll go prepared to sanitize your campsite of all traces of food before you bed down, or you'll be rudely awakened by a local bear stopping by for a midnight snack. If you're fortunate, your ursine guest will be satisfied with your careless offerings and leave your soft, but crunchy body alone, cowering in your tent. As a last-ditch, maybe the fould smell from your freshly soild Fruit of the Loom's will deter the interloper. Only a fool would risk it, though. Down in the campgrounds in Yosemite, they've got heavy-gauge welded steel lockers with complex latching systems that require two hands and opposable thumbs to operate. You stow your edibles in those lockers or else.
Feral animals are called "wild" for a very good reason and people get hurt 'cuz they get caught unprepared to deal with that fact. Bottom line: If you head out into the backcountry, go prepared to fight and win, or go prepared to die.
Personally, I think folks have gotten too far away from nature. They don't realize that a Whitetail buck is more dangerous than a pitbull when the rut is on. Bull Elk and Moose are 5 to 10 times the size of a Whitetail and can be just as mean.
On a trip to Yellowstone years ago, I witnessed a fella sneaking up on a Bull Buffalo just outside of Ol Faithful area. This fella got up to within 20' of this bull and the bull decided that he would run over the top of him, just because.
The fella wasn't hurt bad, other than some nice hoof prints on his arms and legs.
He couldn't figure out what he had done wrong.
Coyote Attacks 3-year old Boy on Cape Cod
Associated Press, 07/30/98
SANDWICH, Mass. (AP) - Police shot and killed a coyote that attacked a 3-year-old boy playing in his back yard on Cape Cod.
The boy's mother told police she had to pry the coyote off her son Wednesday night.
The female coyote was shot by a police officer who rushed to the home after a frantic call from the mother.
Police had increased patrols of the neighborhood after receiving about a dozen calls in recent days about an overly aggressive coyote.
Wildlife officials say the state's coyote population appears to be growing steadily. Some wildlife biologists said they have lost their ability to effectively manage the coyote population because a new law bars the use of leg traps. The ban's proponents said the traps were cruel.
http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/coyote_attacks_3yearold_boy.html
Yeah, coyotes have tried to attack my lab-pitbull mix. You may so that they'd be no match, but he's the most docile thing on earth--won't even snap at other dogs when they play. Coyotes are not to be trusted or taken lightly. My cousin was hiking and had one snarl at her, as well. She, being the good Wyoming girl that she is, she succinctly whipped out her pistol and put a good warning shot between its legs.
Frankly, I wish that she had downed the thing. Heaven knows I've taken out a coyote or 12 in my life.
If you live in a residential neighborhood that isn't full of fields with an abundance or rodents and the like, it's only a matter of time before they attack someone. I say off them from problem areas before they get the chance.
Thanks for posting.
Had an experience in the western Pioneers in Montana about ten years ago. One of my sons (12 at the time) were hiking there above the Big Hole. I had my rifle and dog. We came around a bend in the trail with a beautiful scene and stopped to drink some wtaer and take in the site. Along came five twenty-ish folks, with beeds and in sandals and shorts. They stopped to look too and we shared some water with them.
One of the young men asked me, "Why do you have the rifle? It's not hunting season?"
I responded, "See my dog there? She's here to sense the wild animals, particularly Bear or Cat before I do. Most of the times she will scare them away. The rifle is for the times that she doesn't">
The kid strted laughing and indicated that Bears will not bother you if you do not bother them...cats either. They left laughing and joking about it.
I looked at my son who was watching me.
I said, "Son, I want you to learn something my dad, your grandad, taught me a long time ago...and that is simply this," I said as I cradled and patted my rifle, "...I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."
I then told him, "I hope those folks who just hiked off laughing at me never need it...at least not until they get a little older and a little wiser wiser and understand that they do need it and then have it with them."
They are very clever.
They are well know for sending out one coyote as bait for a dog or child to chase while the rest of the pack hides in the ravine ready to attack.
We see signs around town , like..."Have you seen my dog : muffin?"
Nobody?
I will still hike but as a much more educated hiker
What impressed me about these stories is that it seems a good deal of the attacks came from behind.......coyotes are very clever
Thank goodnes they aren't that big, as opposed to wolves, or I imagine no one would survive an attack!
You dragged Fluffy?
We wndered how she got that way.
It's getting so a feller can't arbitrarily release his packs of lynx and bobcat anymore.
They aren't that big, but good at launching fox-like and then some fangy neck-seeking theeths at a moment's no notice...though. Bad ju-ju. Bad.
Polar bears roll around in pepper spray when it is sprayed on the ground. They like it.
They don't like it in their eyes and nose...but I suspect they can overcome their ouchies long enough to settle me darn good....and my little dog too.
Wild is right. And when RABID.....like flying little icepicks.
Wild.
yikes.
Makes for an adventure.
I hear flying monkeys are pretty bad too.
Actually, I did know to expect- yet an open ambush, just kinda unfolds unexpectedly, sometimes... These were the first yotes of the fall season. I don't hunt fur, venison or bird, since '76. Fish and abalone have a kind master by me, as does, the wild azz Gualala coastal pig- and I always get my well reasoned choice. I do raise beef stock and will cull predators, without notice to anyone- just like all my good neighbors. We watch, talk and take good notice. Herd/Field watch is older than snot, but not as old as Mt.Shasta...lol
Muffin became a dessert for the coyotes?
I had a 3/4 coyote, 1/4 australian shephard as a pet. She was so loyal and loving...but I wouldn't have wanted to make her mad!
If there's one there's more, they live and hunt in packs.
Interesting comment; Pres. Bush said the same thing regarding the terrorists who stopped fearing us due to Clinton's passivity towards their attacks. Seems even the coyotes sense we're becoming a wimpy nation. (Not that there's much difference between terrorists and coyotes anyway).
In years past all these coyote sitings I'm reading about in here would have ended up with dead coyotes littering the streets and they'd fear us plenty.
I took my family to Crane Flat mid August this year. Stayed for five days and had a great time. The first night we were there a pack of coyotes woke up the whole camp at 2:00am with an hour-long chorale of yipping and howling. They were at the edge of a meadow, probably 250yd from our tent, but it was plenty close enough. I grew up in the SoCal hills, and have heard em off and on at night, but never a whole pack of them like that. All of em, with their voices echoing through those tall fir trees...man it was totally primal. At once, majestic, eerie and beautiful.
You are as appropriately named as I am. It is not bad to be mistaken but to defend your error till death does border on stupid. Maybe you are a liberal and don't know it.
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