RYE, N.Y. — Residents of a New York City suburb were warned Wednesday to keep small children indoors after coyotes attacked and injured two little girls just days apart.
Officers and wildlife experts have been authorized to shoot coyotes on sight and to kill any that are trapped, said Rye Police Chief William Connors.
“We will work with wildlife experts to see why this is happening and what we can do in the long term, but to be clear, this is a threat to public safety, and we are treating it as such,” Connors said.
The girls, ages 3 and 6, “are doing fine,” Mayor Doug Frank said.
Coyotes have been common in some New York City suburbs for more than a decade but normally avoid human interaction. Authorities said they’re not sure what is contributing to their aggressiveness in Rye.
The latest attack was Tuesday night, when a 3-year-old girl playing in her backyard — which borders the heavily wooded Rye Nature Center — was jumped from behind by a coyote.
The girl was bitten on her neck and torso, Connors said.
A 6-year-old was mauled Friday night by two coyotes and suffered bites or scratches on her thigh, shoulder, neck, ear and back before her mother could chase the animals, Connors said.
