A five-year-old boy in Renton, King County, had a harrowing encounter with a coyote on New Year's Eve. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. in the Maplewood Heights neighborhood when the animal bit the child in the upper body and attempted to drag him toward a greenbelt area, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The boy's mother successfully intervened, causing the coyote to release the child before it stayed in the vicinity until authorities arrived. Despite the traumatic experience, the boy sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was released from a local hospital the same evening.
WDFW officers who responded to the scene tried to remove the coyote when they located it lethally, but the animal managed to escape into a nearby forested area.
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