Helicopters, Shot Fired: Rye PD Coyote News Conference #2
Rye PD just finished their morning news conference on the coyote attack last night on North Street in Rye. The three year old girl attack is OK. The attack was the second coyote attack in four days days.
Most Rye residents heard the helicopter searching for coyotes late into the night. Rye and Harrison police were out in force, firing at least one shot at a coyote (the animal escaped).
If you see a coyote, call Rye PD (967-1234) and then post a comment below.
PRESS RELEASE
June 30, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COYOTE ATTACK IN CITY OF RYE JUNE 29, 2010
Contact: Police Commissioner William R. Connors (914) 967-1234
At approximately 7:15 P.M. on Tuesday, June 29, 2010, a three year old girl was bitten by a coyote in the vicinity of North Street and Hammond Road.
The girl was playing with a six year old neighbor in the rear yard between their two houses. The victim’s father was on the deck. A coyote jumped from behind a rock in the fence line at the rear of the homes, jumped on the girl, and knocked her to the ground. It bit her on the left side of her neck and the left side of her torso. The six year old girl screamed “Mommy, coyote,” alerting the victim’s father, who began making noise and running toward her, and her own mother, who exited the house and did the same. The coyote released the girl and fled. The victim was taken to Westchester Medical Center for her injuries.
Officers who were assigned to a special detail searching for coyotes were within a block of the home and responded within one minute of the 911 call. They pursued the coyote, guided by telephone reports of sightings, and made visual contact with it in a nearby cemetery. However, they were unable to get a clear line of fire at it due to passing trains on the Metro North tracks and traffic on Interstate 95.
A perimeter was established around the neighborhood with the assistance of members of the Harrison Police Department and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety. Police Officers were assigned to several neighborhoods for an extensive search, and professional trappers and police officers set up observation posts in remote areas. The Westchester County Police Aviation Unit searched the area with infra-red heat detection equipment. A coyote was sighted nearby in Harrison, but no other sightings were reported.
At approximately 1:00 A.M., a coyote was spotted on Boston Post Road. An officer fired a shot at it, but it was uncertain whether the animal was hit. It fled and was not located.
This is the second coyote attack within four days; on Friday, June 25, 2010, a six year old girl was attacked in front of her home.
Coyote attacks on humans are extremely rare, and these incidents represent highly abnormal behavior. There is no clear explanation for them. We will continue aggressive hunting and trapping efforts until we believe this problem has been addressed.
The customary advice to people confronted by coyotes is to act aggressively – to make loud noises or throw objects at them, and not to run away. However, in light of these two extraordinary incidents, we advise residents not to allow small children to play outdoors, particularly during the early evening hours when these attacks have occurred. If they are allowed to play outdoors, parents should be in extremely close proximity.
Coyote sightings should be reported immediately by calling 911 or the Police Department’s main number, (914) 967-1234.
General information about coyotes is available on the City of Rye’s website, www.ryeny.gov.
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