WDFW statement Jan. 1, 2025
On Tuesday, Dec. 31, at approximately 6 p.m., Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Officers received a report of a human-coyote incident with documented injuries in the Maplewood Heights neighborhood of Renton in King County. A coyote bit a five-year-old boy in the upper body, pulling the child to the ground and then attempted to drag him toward a greenbelt area. The child's mother intervened, rushing at the coyote, and it released the child. The coyote remained in the area until WDFW Officers arrived. Fish and Wildlife Officers quickly located the animal near where the incident occurred and attempted to lethally remove the coyote. The animal ran into a nearby forested area.
The child sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated. He was released from the hospital that evening.
More information on coyotes in Washington, including tips for avoiding conflicts, is available on this webpage: Coyote | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Media contact: communications@dfw.wa.gov