Coyote bites 6-year-old at Burnaby festival

In a terrifying turn of events, a six-year-old girl was attacked by a coyote Sunday morning while attending the Burnaby Blooms festival in Deer Lake Park with her family.

According to the BC Conservation Officer Service, the girl was bit by the coyote around 10:15 a.m. The animal stayed in the area until her parents chased it away.

She was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Four conservation officers and Burnaby RCMP arrived at the park and patrolled the area, but did not see any coyotes, BCCOS says.

The service says it is working with the City of Burnaby on public outreach, including signage and patrols.

“We cannot stress enough the importance of not feeding dangerous wildlife and will take enforcement action as warranted,” BCCOS wrote on social media after the incident.

Sunday’s coyote attack was the second this week, after a two-year-old was bitten in a Port Coquitlam playground on Wednesday.

If you see a coyote, BC SPCA says to scare it away by making lots of noise and trying to look big. The organization says to never feed coyotes, keep pets on a leash and supervise small children outdoors.

Coyote encounters can be reported to the provincial Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line at 877-952-7277.