Man attacked by coyote warns others

A coyote snatched away a Gibsons store owner's dog on Friday. Aug 11, 2012. (CTV)

A Kamloops man is warning people to lock up their garbage and not to feed animals after he was attacked by a coyote while riding his bike earlier this week.

Mark Dal Ponte was riding his bike home from work Sunday night when he noticed a coyote was in hot pursuit.

“We’d seen the coyote around before,” said Dal Ponte.

“I was joking with some coworkers that it was going to chase me home because I smelled like fried chicken and, sure enough, ten minutes later there he was.”

He said the coyote bumped into him, forcing him to jump off his bike.

The animal nipped around his heels, but he managed to scare off the coyote by kicking at it.

A short time after, it returned.

“I got my bike between me and the coyote and kept kicking and hollering and throwing rocks,” said Dal Ponte.

Eventually the coyote left permanently, and a large male coyote in the area was destroyed by conservation officers.

Experts said it is rare for coyotes to go after people and if they do it is usually a small child.

Dal Ponte said people need to lock up their garbage and not feed animals so such attacks don’t happen again.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Bhinder Sajan