Jogger attacked by coyote in Stanley Park less than 24 hours after child bitten

Vancouver -

Conservation officers are once again urging the public to stay out of Stanley Park after responding to two coyote attacks in less than 24 hours.

The latest victim was jogging along the Bridal Path trail at around 7 p.m. Wednesday when a coyote approached her from behind and bit her on the leg.

The incident followed another alarming attack on a five-year-old boy that was reported around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Both incidents happened in the area of Prospect Point.

In a Facebook post, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service reiterated its previous messages that people should refrain from entering the park, and recommended those who do exercise "abundant caution, as there is a high risk of encountering an aggressive coyote."

"Conservation officers are patrolling Stanley Park to help ensure public safety," the BCCOS said, adding that their focus is on trapping coyotes in targeted areas.

"Any coyotes captured that do not match the profile of the offending animal will be released."

There have been dozens of reported incidents involving aggressive coyotes in Stanley Park since December, including one last month that left a toddler injured. The attacks have persisted even after conservation officers captured and killed several of the wild animals.

The mother of the child attacked earlier this week told CTV News the family was visiting from Edmonton, and visited the Prospect Point area to take pictures.

"We're not watching the news, we're on vacation," Brandi Aguilar said. "If we saw signage or anything we obviously would have avoided the area."

It's unclear what's causing the coyotes to confront humans in the popular walking and biking destination, but conservation officers have said they suspect a contributing factor could be people feeding the animals.

Tips for how to respond to a coyote encounter are available on the B.C. government website.