ARLINGTON, Texas — Newly-obtained 911 calls from the Arlington coyote attacks earlier this month shed more details on how the incidents unfolded and the initial aftermath.
The attacks happened between Feb. 10 and Feb. 13 at Parkway Central Park in Arlington. Three children were bitten during the incidents, and a coyote was later captured and euthanized, though the animal did not test positive for rabies.
The 911 calls obtained by WFAA this week were made on Feb. 10 and Feb. 13.
"I have a little girl who just got attacked by a coyote," the 911 caller said. "It's a big coyote. It's coming back. Oh Lord Jesus."
The caller described that children were playing on a playground when the coyote "attacked the little girl on the playground and dragged her, like, in the woods and her daddy went chasing after her."
"So kids are in the car now but the coyote is still on the playground," the caller told 911.
The caller then described the girl's bite wound, as dispatch worked to get an ambulance and officers to the scene.
Listen to part of the call here:
In the second call, which was made Feb. 13, the caller described seeing a young boy who was attacked by a coyote and was bleeding.
"There's a coyote here!" the woman told 911.
The victim was a six-year-old boy who was heard crying in the background on the call. The woman reported that the boy was bleeding but was still able to walk around.
The 911 dispatcher then instructed the woman on how to help stop the child's bleeding as an ambulance was en route.
A child was also bitten by a coyote at the park on Feb. 12. All three children were treated for their injuries and were expected to be OK.
The coyote believed to be responsible for the attacks was captured by crews on Feb. 15 and removed from the park. The coyote was later euthanized and then tested for rabies, but it did not test positive for rabies.
Still, officials said on the day they captured the coyote, it had tried to attack officers who were patrolling the area. Crews were able to capture the coyote with a harness device and then walk the animal to a vehicle to remove it from the park.
Arlington Animal Services had initially set a trap at the park after the Feb. 10 attack. Searches for the coyote were unsuccessful, however, but officials kept the park open, saying coyote attacks were rare.
On Feb. 13, the city closed the park and Animal Services set additional traps and conducted patrols for the animal after receiving notification that another child was bitten that day. City officials later learned that another child was bitten while visiting the park on Feb. 12.
