Arlington coyote suspected of attacking three children tests negative for rabies

On Friday afternoon, Arlington city officials announced that the results of rabies tests on a coyote captured Thursday at Parkway Central Park came back negative.

Parents who were picking up their children at Arlington’s Jones Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language, located immediately south of the park, expressed concerns about a nearby coyote attack that had caused worry among some kids.

“I can tell he’s scared,” parent Angel Rodriguez mentioned.

“I guess one of the kids in her class was one of the victims of the coyote,” grandparent Bobbie Green shared. “She became very afraid. Didn’t want to take our walks in the evening. So I’ve had to have discussions with her about wild animals and not approaching them. Certain animals you shouldn’t see during the day.”

Thursday, a coyote believed to be responsible for attacking at least three children in separate incidents was captured at Parkway Central Park.

Arlington Animal Services reported observing other coyotes around the park, but they did not display any concerning behavior at that time. The USDA staff does not consider them a threat to the public at this time. Monitoring of the area will continue, and citizen reports will be assessed to determine if more coyotes need to be removed.

“Coyotes that are acting naturally and have that innate fear of people we are not as concerned about,” stated Arlington Animal Services manager Ashley Woolnough. “It’s the ones that are actually approaching people and acting aggressively towards people. Those are the ones that we are trying to target.”

According to the city’s wildlife sightings map, there have been several coyote sightings in and around the park in recent years.

“I’ve seen it at grocery stores,” Rodriguez remarked about seeing coyotes around the area. “I’ve seen it in my neighborhood. We think it’s a dog just taking the trash but it’s not.”

Local residents nearby expressed relief that at least one coyote has been removed.

“To know they actually caught the coyote it brought a lot of relief,” Rodriguez expressed.

To report a coyote sighting in Arlington, residents can access the reporting tool on the city’s website.