Rocco Morra was just sitting on the curb outside his home Sunday when he felt something on his leg.
That something was a coyote biting him.
“I didn’t see him, but right when he got on my leg, that’s when I noticed him,” the 12-year-old Nobleton, Ont., boy told Global News Monday.
It was just after noon on June 29 when the incident happened, prompting a warning from York Regional Police about coyotes in the area.
Rocco’s mother, Deborah, told Global News the family was getting ready to celebrate Rocco’s birthday. Despite being born in January, Debroah said they mark the occasion at the end of every school year. This year, they had rented a waterslide that was on the front lawn of their home.
Rocco was on his phone, sitting on the curb outside and waiting for his friend to arrive when the coyote approached.
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“All of a sudden, I just see the coyote grab my leg with his jaw and his teeth,” he said.
“I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. When I finally got up, I ran. … he kind of just chased me and when I got inside the house, he was just staring at me.”
A coyote bite can been seen on a 12-year-old Rocco Morra’s leg June 29, 2025.
Submitted/Global News
The coyote left four puncture wounds in his left thigh – two in front and two in the back. He said he went to hospital, got a rabies shot and was bandaged up.
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“They (the doctors) said I got really lucky cause it could’ve been way worse,” Rocco said, adding when he returned home, he still celebrated his birthday.
York Regional Police said in a post on X the coyote was reported as being frequently sighted in the area, and asked residents to use caution.
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Debroah told Global News the incident unfolded within a minute.
“We’ve seen coyotes come around the neighbourhood … but I would have never thought it would actually attack a child,” she said.
Rocco Morra, 12, shows a bandage on his leg on June 30, 2025. Rocco was bitten by a coyote on Sunday while waiting for his friends to arrive at his birthday party.
Catherine McDonald/Global News
King Township said in a notice on its website Sunday it is working with Vaughan Animal Services and the Toronto Wildlife Centre on the incident.
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“Residents are urged to remain cautious and alert, particularly in the King Road and Highway 27 area. Please do not approach or attempt to photograph the animal directly,” it said, adding on its website residents should never feed any wild animal – the primary cause of animal-human conflict.
Deborah echoed that advice.
“That’s what’s driving them in,” she said.
“Please, stop feeding the coyotes.”
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