Woman walking her dog fends off coyote attack in Bolingbrook

A rare coyote attack in a southwest suburb has left residents a bit rattled.

Bolingbrook police have closed off a path at the Lily Cache Nature Preserve after a woman walking her dog Sunday morning was attacked by a coyote.

Now, wildlife experts are trying to figure out what prompted the attack.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 NEWS APP

Police say the woman walking her dog was suddenly attacked by the coyote, which nipped at her heels and tried to jump on her back. Luckily, she wasn’t bit, but police have now closed the park’s trail system after locating the coyote’s den near a popular bridge.

"It’s clear that something strange happened," said Seth Magle, Director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo. "Because we know we have hundreds and thousands of coyotes in the metro Chicago area."

Magle says even coyotes protecting their pups rarely attack. He says the animal must have been extraordinarily stressed, or possibly had been fed by humans before.

"I just really want to stress that this is not typically what happens," Magle said. "And if you see a coyote in your neighborhood, it’s not a cause for alarm because the vast majority of the time they want nothing to do with us."

Indeed, police say this is the first coyote attack in Bolingbrook history.

People who live in the subdivisions near the nature preserve say they are going to be extra careful.

"We always have a golf stick near the door just in case," said neighbor Kimberly Thomas. "Because we have a small dog too, so of course we don’t want the dog to be eaten."

So, what should you do in the rare case you find yourself being threatened by a coyote?

"Often what we recommend is called hazing," said Magle. "So get loud. If you have pots and pans, bang these to make loud noise to startle the animals. Try to make sure they associate humans with danger, which is what we want."

Police say the path will remain closed until the Illinois Department of Natural Resources either moves the coyotes, or decides to just wait it out and let them leave on their own.