Ouch! Coyote attacks on the rise in Henderson, police say
Coyotes are biting people in Henderson, and police want people to stop feeding them.
The Henderson Police Department told residents on Facebook to stop feeding and approaching wildlife.
“We have seen a number of coyotes approaching people and biting them,” the police department wrote. “This only occurs when coyotes are not scared of people.”
Police warned that coyotes carry rabies, and have become a threat to public safety from people feeding them.
People who are bit by coyotes must receive rabies vaccines, police said. Rabies can be fatal to people and animals.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife reported 316 coyote sightings in 2022 in Southern Nevada. The department told the Review-Journal in April 2023 that coyote attacks on humans are rare, but when they happen, it is usually because someone was hand-feeding them.