A father went into ‘protection mode’ when he saw a coyote attacking his toddler son.
According to police in New Hampshire, Ian O’Reilly was walking on a hiking trail with his three children and wife when the animal attacked his 2-year-old son.
The couple managed to separate the coyote from their child and O’Reilly tried to make it leave. He first kicked and pushed the coyote to shoo it away but the animal bit his chest and arm.
He was then left with no choice but to fight.
O’Reilly pushed the coyote’s snout to the ground and choked the animal.
“I was able to get its head into the snow and get my hand around its snout, so it could no longer bite me. And then, from there, I was able to suffocate it by using my body weight and scissor-locking it until basically expiring,” he told WMUR.
“In the middle of the moment you’re not really thinking. It’s really just instinct. The fact that when we tried to kick and push and get rid of him, it became clear that he was not disengaging.”
Police said: “The coyote attacked a young child, and the child’s dad went into protection mode and suffocated the coyote until it succumbed.”
The 2-year-old boy was safe and sound.
The attack occurred only hours after authorities issued a warning to residents to watch out for coyotes. Kensington Police warned locals to be wary after an earlier attack in the Wild Pasture Road and Hemlock Road.
“Coyote attack in the area of Wild Pasture Road and Hemlock Road. Keep your pets and children in your residence. If you spot the coyote do not approach it and call the Kensington Police immediately,” the alert read.
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