Officials close park, urge caution after coyote attacks

A rash of coyote attacks on children has officials urging caution and the closing of a Chino Hills park, Times staff writer David Kelly reports:

Since Friday, two children have been attacked. In another incident, a coyote was headed for a toddler when it was scared off.

The most recent attack occurred Tuesday in Lake Arrowhead. San Bernardino County sheriff's investigators said Melissa Rowley was taking pictures of her daughter and three other children in front of their home about 11:45 a.m.

When she went inside to put away the camera, a coyote ran up, grabbed Rowley's 2-year-old daughter by the head and tried to drag her down the driveway.

When Rowley rushed the animal, it dropped the girl, who was airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Center and treated for cuts on her mouth and puncture wounds on her head and neck. Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said the girl was expected to fully recover.

On Friday, a 2-year-old girl was attacked by a coyote while playing in a sandbox at Alterra Park in Chino Hills, suffering puncture wounds on the buttocks. The next day, another toddler was approached by a coyote in the same park, but the animal was scared off by the child's father.

--Tony Barboza

Photo: Robert Durell/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Larry S. Raschtschenia]

In San Diego we have had a serious coyote problem in our communtity for two months. It had been addressed to both Federal and State Wildlife officals with only token effort to fix the problem. The official position is nothing can be done until the coyote becomes a threat to the community. Which means until someone is attcked. It is only a matter of time before an incident like one of the three incidents that occured up north happens to my 20 month old son. The sad part is I am screaming for help and the official tasked to protect and serve really don't care to include the leadership in Sacramento and Washington.
R12

[Chris]

Get a 12 gauge shotgun with #1 buckshot, shoot coyotes in the head and their destructive potential will be neutralized. I would recommend a Remington automatic. Problem solved.