By Richard Zussman , CNN Written by
A coyote is on the loose after biting two people in Toronto earlier this week.
The two people, both children, were bitten in North York’s Lake Shore Boulevard West park on Monday at 6:20 p.m. The bites occurred “at different times of the evening,” the city said in a statement.
One victim reportedly suffered a minor injury from a possible cut to her lip, the other suffered a bite to her cheek.
The city did not indicate where the coyote was last seen, and is reminding the public that there is no need to try to catch it.
The coyote could be loose in this area. Credit: Andrew Nicholls/CP24
But it’s unclear if the animal has been captured.
Toronto’s Road Safety Advisory Committee (RSTAC) was contacted to confirm if the coyote was in the same location where the bite happened.
No answer came, said spokesperson Alison Reimer.
Reimer added that the committee will “continue to monitor the situation” and said that the city has “exercised extreme caution” in dealing with the coyote.
She noted that the coyote has shown an aggressive behavior that might indicate that it is “well fed” and has failed to exhibit normal behaviour such as fear or fearful behavior.
Toronto residents have taken to social media to share their experiences and photos of the coyote in action.
One resident, Farzana Rafi, said that the coyote had a “protective body posture,” “partially covered in fur” and was “very territorial.”
She continued that the dog was “very scared” of the coyote “for quite some time” before it finally bit the caller’s 4-year-old son.
Reports of coyotes roaming around Toronto are not unusual. CNN reported earlier this year that one had been discovered across the street from Toronto city hall. But their impact on the city has been far from immediate.