A trip to the park turned into a hospital visit for Trevor Sweta, who celebrated his fourth birthday on Thursday.
“He’s not even thinking about that. He’s still in a state of shock when he goes out of the house,” said Trevor’s father, Thomas Sweta.
Trevor was bitten by a coyote at Parkway Central Park on Monday.
Thomas Sweta recounts fighting off the animal, which had pinned his son to the ground.
“Of course, I’m still feeling the pain on my arm because I fell down,” said Thomas Sweta.
Trevor received his second round of rabies shots on Thursday.
Thomas Sweta expresses relief that the coyote suspected of attacking three children has been apprehended.
“I feel good because if it was still out there, that means it was bound to attack another child,” said Thomas Sweta.
Arlington Animal Services and Arlington police captured a coyote after it approached them near the park Thursday morning.
“The less-than-lethal round struck the coyote, completely stunning him. He laid back down. We moved in and were able to get the coyote under control,” said Arlington Police Officer Eric Belisle.
Coyote sightings are increasing from Plano to Fort Worth.
“Right now is mating season so they’re a little more active. Their hormones are raging,” said Karin Saucedo, a coyote expert with North Texas Wildlife Rescue.
Saucedo reports receiving more calls about coyotes this year compared to last.
“We have this rapid growth of dense human populations living right up against wild spaces,” explained Saucedo.
“That’s creating an increased risk of human interaction with coyotes.”
She emphasizes that human contact with coyotes is extremely unusual, an experience the Sweta family now knows all too well.
“He’s hanging in there,” said Thomas Sweta.
When encountering a coyote, Saucedo advises humans to act assertively.
She suggests opening an umbrella or a plastic bag to scare the animal away.
Arlington Animal Services states there’s no way to be 100% certain the captured coyote is the one that attacked the children.
The USDA is currently investigating.
Parkway Central Park remains closed.
The captured coyote was scheduled for euthanasia on Thursday and will be tested for rabies. Results are expected Friday.
