Dallas Animal Services says the children sustained minor injuries and a parent was able to chase the coyote away.
Dallas Animal Services says the children sustained minor injuries and a parent was able to chase the coyote away.
Dallas Animal Services says the children sustained minor injuries and a parent was able to chase the coyote away.
DALLAS — Two children reportedly sustained minor injuries after they were chased by a coyote near White Rock Creek Trail in Dallas this week, officials say.
Dallas Animal Services Thursday reported a parent chased off the coyote after the incident around 8 p.m. near the trail by White Rock Lake in northeast Dallas at White Rock Road and Winsted Drive.
The area is known as Tokalon Park.
Dallas Animal Services and Dallas Park officials are working to find the coyote that was involved.
Warning signs about coyotes have been posted in the area since April 22, Dallas Animal Services said, after an adult reported encountering one.
Dallas Park and Dallas Animal Services officials are asking visitors to the White Rock Creek Trail area to be aware of their surroundings and keep dogs on leashes.
“We don’t know what escalated it. The animal could have been resource protective or could have been protective of cubs nearby,” Dallas Animal Services director Paul Ramon.
Animal Services officers were visible in the area on Friday, talking with people in the park and placing more signs warning of coyote activity.
It’s far from the first encounter in Tokalon Park.
Sheryl Gould lives a few houses away and frequently takes her grandchildren there.
“We’ve been here at the park and had them come out,” she said.
More than once at White Rock Lake, her husband has had to make noise in order to get a coyote to back away.
“They’re pretty bold,” she said.
Sightings are not unusual, but aggression in a coyote is. In 2022, a child in Dallas’s Lake Highlands neighborhood was injured by a coyote.
After that, the City of Dallas launched a hotline for reporting encounters and an educational campaign. The city continues to track animal behavior and movement, and says coyotes are just part of life.
“We’re not surprised to see the activity,” Ramon said.
Ramon’s number one tip is to be loud.
He suggests that anyone using White Rock Trail or White Rock Lake to carry a water bottle with pebbles.
Shaking it should scare a coyote.
“They’re naturally skiddish, they’ll run away,” said Ramon. “Make yourself as big as possible and be loud. Do all you can do to let the coyote know you’re in charge.”
People who spot a coyote that appears to be sick or injured are asked to immediately contact 311.
“You can help keep your community safe and coyotes away from your home by not providing them with these ‘free meals’ and using ‘hazing’ methods to scare off coyotes if they are sighted,” Dallas Animal Services’ website continues. “Hazing utilizes tools, your voice, and your body to move an animal out of an undesirable location without touching or injuring the animal.”
For more information about coyotes and how to stay safe, visit Dallas Animal Services’ website.