Coyote Captured After 3 Children Attacked at Texas Park Does Not Have Rabies: Officials

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Getty

A closeup of a coyote taken at Bosque del Apache.

Getty

A coyote that may have been responsible forattacking three childrenand was captured at a North Texas park on Thursday has tested negative forrabies, authorities said Friday afternoon.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Parkway Central Park, 600 Van Buren Drive, will remain closed to the public until Tuesday, Feb. 20,” officials added.

The officer, who has encountered “hundreds of coyotes” on the job, went on to call this “very unusual behavior.”

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After the initial attack, two more children were bitten on Tuesday and Wednesday at the park, which is adjacent to Jones Academy, a fine arts and dual-language school in the Arlington Independent School District.

The coyote captured on Thursday was euthanized and then transported to Texas Health and Human Services in Austin where it underwent rabies testing.

In the three separate coyote encounters, each child was treated for injuries and then released from the hospital,The Dallas Morning Newsreported.

source: people.com