A 2-year-old Broomfield, Colo. toddler was attacked by a coyote Monday night and later asked his father, “Was that the Easter bunny?” according to 7News.
The attack occurred around 8 p.m. in the open space area in the northeast section of the Anthem subdivision in Broomfield, Fox 31 reports. Broomfield Police say that a father was walking on a path with his 2-year-old son and 9-month-old daughter when a coyote emerged from some tall grass and bit the young boy on his “back and buttocks area.”
The young boy screamed and his father shouted at the coyote, scaring it off into the grass, according to CBSDenver.
The boy’s father described his son’s reaction after the attack to 7News:
We got around the corner and he kind of stopped crying and he asked me if the Easter bunny bit him. I don’t think he knew what hit him.
The father took his son to The Children’s Hospital urgent care center immediately where his son received a rabies vaccination and is recovering well from the incident, The Denver Post reports.
Broomfield Police Department give this advice with regard to coyote safety on the police website:
- Always keep your pets on a leash when they are off of your property, as required by the Municipal Code, and do not allow them to roam.
- Never allow your pets to "play" with coyotes
- Do not leave your pet unattended in your yard - if you must leave your pet outside, secure it in a fully enclosed kennel
- Do not feed coyotes or leave food items accessible
- Keep your distance and do not approach
- Throw rocks or sticks to keep coyotes away
- Make yourself appear to be big and use a loud authoritative voice to keep coyotes away