Logan Funk was in his living room Saturday evening when he heard screams for help coming from outside.
He peeked out his window only to see what he thought was a dog attacking a boy.
Funk, 18, rushed out the door of his North Kildonan home to find a nine-year-old being mauled by a coyote. He managed to chase it off and flagged down others for help.
Residents soon came out of their homes to tend to the boy while Funk grabbed a shovel to scare the animal further away.
“They’re not afraid of people, not afraid of dogs,” Funk said of an increasing number of coyotes he’s seen in the North Winnipeg neighbourhood.
Police say the boy and his 15-year-old sister were walking around the Popko Crescent and Knowles Avenue area just before 7 p.m. when the coyote ran towards them as they tried to flee.
The family of the victim confirmed he received stitches in his head and is recovering at home.
This is the second time in recent months coyotes have been spotted encroaching in on city limits. In December 2022 a canine approached an elementary student at Emerson School in the same neighbourhood.
The student wasn’t injured, but the school kept students indoors for the rest of the day as a precaution.
Barrett Miller, manager of group services at FortWhyte Alive said despite the increasing number of coyotes being spotted around the city, attacks on people remain uncommon.
“It’s not like it’s happening all the time,” he said.
The manager said coyotes are about as dangerous as dogs – without millennia of domestication behind them.
“You don’t trust it, you don’t turn your back and you certainly don’t do anything to invite it closer to you.”
In December 2022 the province said it receives, on average, 70 reports of coyote-human interactions in Winnipeg each year, though most are sightings and not conflicts.
Miller said nine out of ten aggressive encounters with coyotes in the city involve small dogs, and pet owners should be vigilant when out walking with them.
“Whether you live in a suburban area or right downtown … we do have wildlife around us,” he said.
Securing food sources and never feeding the animals can deter them from infiltrating residential neighbourhoods, while using the hazing technique — becoming loud or raising a jacket or piece of clothing to appear bigger — can scare off a coyote if it approaches, Miller said.
For Funk, the attack is a reminder there’s strength in numbers.
“Parents need to be more vigilant and protective of children and to not let your kid walk alone.”
— with files from Global’s Katherine Dornian and Amy-Ellen Prentice
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