By David F. Rooney
A vicious coyote attack at the Equestrian Grounds on Thursday morning has left Angie Threatful and her beloved dog, Wrinkles, injured.
The Revelstoke Veterinary Clinic’s Dr. Lizete Valdemanis said Wrinkles sustained wounds to a hind leg, his chest and face that required 30 stitches. This was the second time the dog has been attacked by coyotes this year. This past winter coyotes went for the dog while he was just a few feet away from Threatful.
This time, though, Threatful herself received a couple of very nasty bites on the leg when she tried to beat the coyote off with a stick. This is the first time in years that we know of that a local resident has been attacked and injured by coyote within city boundaries.
The attack occurred Thursday morning when Threatful took Wrinkles down to her barn at the Selkirk Saddle Club. She saddled up her horse and went for a ride with Wrinkles running alongside her.
According to family member Roma Threatful, “Wrinkles was running through the field when he saw another coyote and began to run away. A large female coyote came out of the weeds and grabbed him by the hind leg. She bit him on the chest side and face.”
Witnessing the attack Angie leaped from her horse, grabbed a stick and began hitting the coyote. That’s when the animal went for her and bit her on the leg. She received several stitches to the wounds at Queen Victoria Hospital after she rushed Wrinkles to the veterinary clinic.
Angie has contacted the Conservation Officer Service about the incident and spoken with local CO Adam Christie. Speaking with The Current on Friday morning, Christie said he is working on a plan to deal with the coyote problem, particularly since this incident directly involved a human.
“It’s not as easy as you might think becasue these animals do not stay in one place,” he said.
Christie said that ordinarily he might establish a bait station to lure the coyotes in and then kill them and while that would likely work in the winter, in summer it will simply attract other predators.
After last January’s attack (click here to read that story and click here to read the follow-up) COs Justyn Bell of Golden and Jesse Jones of Vernon came to Revelstoke (Christie was on vacation at the time) hoping to cull the animals that attacked Wrinkles. The coyotes eluded them.
In the past year the Conservation Officer Service has only received five formal complaints about coyote predation in Revelstoke but Bell said at the time that he thinks many more people in this community are concerned about the problem.
“I suspect a lot of people don’t call in for one reason or another,” Bell said. “They probably think nothing can be done about them.”
However, area residents can mitigate the problem.
Cat owners can ensure the safety of their felines by keeping them indoors and all homeowners can help by keeping their garbage secured jus as they would to deter bears.
As for young children, they should not be left unattended or unsupervised.
For more information about how to deal with coyotes (other than with a .22 or a shotgun), please click here.
