A little girl was pursued to her house from her tree swing by a bold coyote in South Villa Park on Tuesday.
An unnamed child was harassed and then pursued to her house by a coyote that wandered into the Chicago suburbs. Surveillance footage shows her skipping along her driveway, and then diverting toward a swing hanging from a tree in the front lawn.
As she approached the swing, a coyote dashes at her. Alarmed, she turns and runs for her house, pursued by the lunging predator.
The village of Villa Park announced that it had contacted both the DuPage County Forest Preserve and the Illinois Conservation Police regarding the incident. “Like domestic dogs, coyotes test their limits around humans and learn something from each exchange,” the preserve says on its official site:
Unless they associate people with negative experiences, such as loud noises, they can become comfortable walking down streets or sidewalks or near schools, basking in yards or parks, and shortening the distance between themselves and humans.
“A bold coyote does not necessarily mean an aggressive coyote,” the organization writes, “but a coyote that maintains its fear of humans will be less likely to cause problems.”
The girl’s family has confirmed that she is frightened but otherwise unharmed.
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