A surveillance video system outside a home in Portland, Oregon captured the moment a coyote ran after a small girl. Charlie Schmidt was spending time in his yard when the animal suddenly appeared. Schmidt said everyone was okay following the incident.
PORTLAND, Ore. – Surveillance video from a usually quiet neighborhood in the Portland metro captured the moment a young child came face-to-face with a coyote outside her family’s home on Oct. 12.
Charlie Schmidt said he was working in his backyard with his children when the coyote suddenly appeared.
In the video, Schmidt’s daughter was seen running to the porch with the four-legged omnivore right behind her.
The girl can be heard yelling, “Dad, there’s a coyote,” as she climbed on a table to escape the animal.
Schmidt then ran towards his daughter as the coyote scoured away from the backyard.
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Storyful, a social content-gathering company, reported that everyone, including Schmidt’s daughter, was okay following the sudden incident.
According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the spotting of coyotes is quite common throughout the state, including in residential communities such as Portland.
The omnivores are usually on the hunt for food, which includes rodents, fruit, pet food and occasionally outdoor cats.
It is not known what triggered the coyote to follow the girl, which could have been the result of several factors, including its health or even changes to its habitat.
The Urban Coyote Research Project says the species is native to North America, and its population is estimated to total in the millions.
Coyote population expansion map
(The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences / FOX Weather)
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In 2010, the Portland Urban Coyote Project was launched to document the animals’ interactions with humans.
Since its inception, the project says it has received more than 8,000 reports of coyotes around the metro.
While coyote attacks are extremely rare, the ODFW warns they are still possible.
The agency encourages people who encounter an animal that poses an imminent threat to call 9-1-1.
If a coyote does not pose an imminent threat but is acting peculiarly, witnesses are encouraged to contact their nearest fish and wildlife office.