If you live in an area with coyotes, you’ve probably seen warnings about keeping an eye on your pets and small children when they’re outside. Though coyotes typically avoid people because of their shy nature, they can sometimes become curious. A California family knows this only too well. Their home surveillance camera captured a terrifying encounter with a coyote involving their toddler. Salvo Bessemer, 3, screamed and ran toward his mother as the animal seemingly stalked the sweet little boy. Now, his mother wants to warn other families to keep their children safe.
The toddler’s mom, Aida Svelto, told KABC she’d seen coyotes in her Pasadena neighborhood before but didn’t think much about them until Salvo’s scary encounter.
“Sal went out the gate like he always does before me. Then I heard a scream, and Sal came running back. He grabbed onto my legs, then I screamed because I saw a big, giant coyote,” Svelto recalled.
She said this coyote seemed different than others she’d seen before.
“We have seen them, but they typically just stay on the street. I really didn’t feel nervous. Now I’m nervous,” Svelto shared with the news outlet. “This one was bigger and scarier, and I just really didn’t think that he would go after a kid. It’s one thing to see them go after a chihuahua or rabbit or whatever, but he’s pretty big, so it was scary.”
She called Salvo’s father, Leonard Bessemer, and told him about the terrifying coyote. He looked at the camera footage and said he was “flabbergasted” by what he saw. Svelto told KTLA that the incident scared Salvo, but he’s doing OK.
Humane Wildlife Control Inc CEO and coyote expert Rebecca Dmytryk told KTLA that Salvo’s story is a great teaching moment for families. She said it’s important for humans to create boundaries with coyotes.
“It’s our obligation as stewards to teach them that,” she told the outlet. “And if we don’t, the opposite happens, and they get really comfortable being around us.”
After watching the family’s video, Dmytryk claimed the coyote wasn’t a predator but a curious visitor.
“I could read the coyote, and what I read, was it was more curious and it was triggered by the child running. Running is not a good thing to do, whether you’re an adult or a child. Turning and running, and then the scream sounded like a rabbit screaming,” she said.
She’s the expert, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still a bit spooked after watching that video. Thankfully, Salvo is OK, and the family avoided a tragedy that day. We’re sure they’ll be much more aware of their surroundings from now on.
