If we came in contact with a wild animal, we’re not sure we’d know what to do. As much as we’d like to think we’d stay calm, move slowly, and remember everything we’ve ever read about what to do, that’s probably not what would happen. We’d likely scream, maybe fall, and do everything else wrong, putting ourselves in even more danger. Thankfully a little girl from Portland, Oregon, isn’t like us and managed to calmly escape a coyote.
Charlie Schmidt shared a backyard surveillance video with Storyful via USA Today of his young daughter’s encounter with the animal, and it’s incredible. She acted cool under pressure and escaped unscathed. We want to be like her when we grow up.
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The child bravely told her dad what was happening.
In the short clip, we can see Schmidt working in the yard. Suddenly, his daughter appears, running. She tells her father calmly, “Dad, there’s a coyote.”
Thinking she’s kidding, Schmidt says, “No,” before turning around.
The coyote tailed the girl in the yard.
As soon as Schmidt sees his daughter pass by, he runs. It’s unclear how the wild animal got there, but it seems to be running at a pretty decent clip. The brilliant child hops on top of a toddler-sized picnic table and waits for her dad. Schmidt grabs the child and runs, understandably unleashing a string of expletives along the way.
Another child tries to help.
We can hear a second child yelling at the father and young girl about getting into the house. The animal leaves the yard, and it’s unclear where it went. Thankfully, it didn’t attack, and everyone walked away uninjured.
The situation could have been much worse.
According to coyotesmarts.org, if you encounter a coyote, you should begin “hazing.” This will best help a person ward off an unwanted coyote. Experts recommend not turning your back. Instead, Coyote Smarts instructs making as much noise as possible, waiving your arms, clapping your hands, and speaking in an authoritative, aggressive voice. This can scare the coyote away.
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Make use of what you have at home.
Coyote Smarts recommends banging pots and pans, spraying the coyote with a hose, or even creating a “coyote shaker,” a can filled with pennies or pebbles and sealed with duct tape.
“Some coyotes may freeze and stare, or run a short distance and stop. Hazing should be continued until the coyote gets the message and finally leaves the scene. Hazing can work whether the encounter is with a lone coyote or a small pack. If the leader retreats, the rest of the pack will follow,” the website notes. “If the coyote refuses to retreat or returns to the area despite persistent hazing, it may be due to the fact that someone is feeding coyotes nearby. This is a cause for concern and should be reported to the local police or animal control officer.”
