A Greensboro park has been temporarily closed following reports of several coyote attacks over the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, at least six attacks were reported along trails near Lake Brandt Marina, with four people being bitten, according to WFMY.
David Broach was riding his mountain bike on the Wild Turkey trail on Saturday (March 6) when he was attacked by a coyote, WFMY reports.
"I stopped on my bike, and as soon as that thing saw me, it started running towards me, and that was terrifying," said Broach.
Broach said he blocked the animal with his bike before it bit into one of his tires. After about a 30-second scuffle, he used pepper spray against the coyote, which then gave up on his tire, the news station reports. It briefly turned around for another attack but then ran off. Fortunately, Broach was unharmed.
"It was not defending itself, it was attacking, and that's what's very scary," he said.
The attacks led Greensboro Police and Guilford County Animal Control to close down trails near Lake Brandt Marina and post police tape and warning signs for visitors. According to WFMY, animal control workers have place humane traps in the area to safely capture the coyotes.
"Citizens are advised to stay off the trails until it is deemed safe," the Greensboro Police said in a statement. "The marina remains open to the public and the affected trails have also been posted with signage."
If you are approached by a coyote, WFMY recommends the following tips from urbancoyoteresearch.com:
- Yell, wave your arms, or throw something at the coyote
- Don't run. The coyote may chase you, and they are much faster than humans.
- Make yourself look as big as you can: put your hands over your head or pull a jacket over your head.
- Say "leave me alone" repeatedly to let the coyote know you're a threat and alert anyone in the area that you may be in trouble.
- Retreat and back away slowly, but don't turn your back on the animal.
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