A day at the park sounds like an ideal way to get kids worn out in the fresh air and have some time to move around ourselves. Curt Miaso and his family were out for one of their regular Saturday activities, a trip to Aztec Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, when the beautiful day took a dangerous turn. His 1-year-old son, Zeke, had just taken a turn on the slide and ran over for another when his big sister spotted something, according to 12 News.
“At the time, I remember my 5-year-old daughter yelling out, ‘Coyote! Coyote!'” he told the news outlet.
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The baby was face-to-face with a coyote.
The next thing the dad knew, baby Zeke was 10 feet away from him and facing down a coyote. Miaso raced over and scooped him up, then scared off the coyote with help from some other adults.
Although the intrepid toddler was now safe, he did not escape the situation unscathed. His dad checked him over, and when he unzipped Zeke’s onesie, he found scratch marks along his son's chest and abdomen.
Their first thought was getting the baby medical care. “Obviously this is something we got to treat,” Miaso said. “Want to make sure he’s okay,” 12 News reported
Phoenix Children’s Hospital began administering rabies treatment to Zeke that day, and he’ll continue the course of treatment for several days. The soon-to-be 2-year-old is expected to have a speedy recovery.
Miaso reflected concerns that would have crossed many parents’ minds. “There’s a lot of, you know, thoughts, or more the worst case that could have happened,” he said.
The Scottsdale native had never been that near to a coyote in the morning hours. “It was 10 a.m., pretty crowded park, a lot of cars, people playing tennis, a baseball game,” he explained to 12 News.
Coyotes are common in Arizona.
According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, coyotes are common in rural and urban areas across Arizona. They come out or are visible at night or around sunrise, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to find one catching a nap in a backyard with a lot of shrubs and brush.
They are looking for three critical factors: food, water, or shelter. Food can range from rabbits, birds, and unattended pets to accessible garbage, pet food, and fallen fruit. Leaving pets’ water dishes out and having fountains and pools are all examples of hydration options. Shelter can be anything from shrubs to storm drains or spaces beneath a shed.
The organization cautions people to not ignore a coyote if it’s near homes, as that can diminish the animal’s “natural fear of humans which can eventually lead to bold behavior.”
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The problem starts with people.
Darren Julian, an urban wildlife specialist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, told 12 News, “It’s likely that this coyote has been fed by people.” He called this "terrible feeding."
“The terrible feeding is when that coyote is approaching people and they're getting that reward. And they're going to come approach different people and you know, usually when they don't get fed, is when they'll reach out and bite someone or scratch somebody,” he explained.
Feeding coyotes is illegal in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pina counties in Arizona.
Julian offers a better and more legal solution for discouraging coyotes. “[I]f we're pushing back and chasing coyotes, and being aggressive towards them, we won't see these kinds of issues,” he concluded.
