For the second time in five days, a coyote has attacked a young child in the Lower Mainland.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says a 6-year-old girl was bitten by a coyote in Deer Lake Park in Burnaby around 10:15 a.m. Sunday during the Burnaby Blooms festival.
The service says the coyote stayed in the area following the attack until it was chased off by the child’s parents.
The girl was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Both the B.C. Conservation Service and the Burnaby RCMP responded to the incident but were unable to locate the coyote.
The service and the City of Burnaby are now working together on educational signs, public outreach and patrols in the area.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of not feeding dangerous wildlife and will take enforcement action as warranted,” said the service.
The attack follows a separate violent encounter with a coyote at Lions Park in Port Coquitlam on Wednesday when a 2-year-old child was bitten.
The child was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The coyote was killed near the attack site, according to conservation officers.
The service said an examination of the coyote revealed it had consumed “non-natural food sources,” adding that people should not feed wildlife.
Coyote expert Sarah Benson-Amram, an assistant professor of forest and conservation sciences at the University of British Columbia, told CBC earlier this week that coyotes become bolder after being fed because they associate humans with a source of food.
As well, she says it’s denning season for coyotes, meaning they are more protective of their territory.
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