Coyote bites 5-year-old boy, attempts to drag him away in Renton, agency reports

A 5-year-old boy is recovering after being bitten and dragged by a coyote in Renton on New Year’s Eve.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) confirmed in a statement on New Year’s Day Wednesday that on Tuesday evening agency officers received reports of the animal making contact with the child in the Maplewood Heights neighborhood of Renton.

At around 6 p.m. Tuesday, the coyote bit the boy on “the upper body” pulling him to the ground. From there, the animal attempted to drag the child toward a greenbelt area, the WDFW explained. As this was happening, the child’s mother intervened by rushing at the animal. The coyote then released the child.

The state agency added the coyote remained in the area until its officers arrived on the scene. They located the animal and attempted to “lethally remove” it before it ran into a nearby forested area.

KIRO Newsradio spoke to WDFW Captain Jennifer Maurstad Thursday about the incident Tuesday evening and said that while the coyote ran off, an officer took one shot with a rifle and is “pretty certain that he hit the coyote.” 

According to the WDFW statement, the child sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated. He was released from the hospital later that evening.

“He’s home now and clearly the family is dealing with some shock but it sounds like he’s doing good,” Maurstad said to KIRO Newsradio.

She also told KIRO Newsradio the coyote bit the boy in the upper arm.

Follow these tips for living with coyotes in Renton, King County

A pack of coyotes was spotted in North Seattle earlier this week. KIRO Newsradio’s Paul Holden captured a video Monday morning in the Northgate neighborhood near North Seattle Community College.

“It’s about just before (6 a.m.) that I’m leaving here and when I see the bottom of my street, I see not one, not two, but three large, I mean, these are adult coyotes,” Paul said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio Monday. “These are not small creatures. They are big.”

As Paul was driving down the street, he said the coyotes separated and he saw one easily jump over a barrier into the yard of another house.

Maurstad said these types of attacks don’t happen often, but she did note it’s not the first recent attack.

“It’s very uncommon. Although, I say that knowing that we had another incident that happened in Seattle in October.”

Maurstad also outlined what made these cases different and why the animals may have behaved the way they did.

“Oftentimes when coyotes are inhabiting these urban areas they do become aggressive because they lose their fear of humans because they see humans all the time and they start to associate humans with food because — whether deliberately or inadvertently — these animals do get fed and I don’t know that that’s the case here,” Maurstad said.

As part of its list of online tips to citizens, the WDFW also says people should never feed coyotes, and they need to keep their garbage secure. When people leave food outside, whether it’s pet food or even garbage or barbecues, and coyotes start to use those as food sources, they do lose their fear of humans so they can become aggressive in those instances.

In addition, those in the area need to keep fruit trees fenced or pick up fruit that falls on the ground and keep compost piles within a fenced area or securely covered.

Also, if those who live in Washington need to feed their pets outside, it shouldn’t be done at night and everything should get cleaned up before the sun sets.

“If you must feed your pets outside, do so in the morning or at midday, and pick up food, water bowls, leftovers, and spilled food well before dark every day,” WDFW notes.

‘Never run away from a coyote’

Another tip from the WDFW: “Never run away from a coyote!” The agency advises people to make loud noises, wave sticks, squirt it with a hose or “haze” the coyote if it comes closer.

“Stand tall, stare into the eyes of the coyote and shout at it,” the agency states. “You also can throw something at it.”

When KIRO Newsradio asked Maurstad about what the boy’s mother did in this case, she lauded the mother’s actions.

Absolutely yes, she did an amazing job,” Maurstad said.

Another option is to build a coyote-proof fence.

“A 5-foot woven-wire fence with extenders facing outward at the top of each post should prevent coyotes from climbing over,” the agency writes.

Properly enclosing poultry and keeping livestock in secure pens is another important step to prevent coyotes from visiting.

More information on coyotes in Washington, including tips for avoiding conflicts, is available on the WDFW’s website.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X and email her here.