A toddler’s family was unloading their vehicle when a coyote managed to bite the child twice, according to a safety notice posted Thursday on the Carson Sheriff Station Instagram profile.
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County around 13 miles from downtown L.A., and the incident occurred in a residential area on Moorehaven Drive. Another incident linked to the same coyote was previously reported, the notice said. DNA evidence was used to confirm the same coyote was involved in both events.
“The child sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital,” said the sheriff’s station, citing information it received from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. A residential camera system caught the bite, it added. While Carson Sheriff's Station identified the child as a 3-year-old, KTLA said the child was 4 years old.
A search for the coyote was underway Thursday, per the law enforcement agency. KTLA reported Friday that officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that they had caught and humanely euthanized the coyote.
“Wildlife officials responded to reports that a coyote attacked and bit a young boy in front of his grandparents’ home in Carson at 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday,” said the KTLA report. It also said the young boy who was bitten required antibiotics and multiple rounds of rabies shots.
According to KTLA, Cort Klopping of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told the outlet that DNA testing confirmed that the coyote that attacked this child was also responsible for another attack on a young child in Carson at 4 p.m. on Feb. 11. He also said two other coyote attacks were reported Tuesday.
One of those incidents involved a 31-year-old woman in Gardina on March 26 and the other event reportedly involved a very young child and occurred at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
“Wildlife officials said they believe the coyote responsible for the attacks on Tuesday and Feb. 11 could be responsible for at least one of the additional reported attacks,” said KTLA. “They’ve collected samples from the victims and sent them to the lab for testing.”
Food waste smells, unsecured trash cans and pet food left outside might have brought the coyote into the community, the CDFW said, according to KTLA. On its website, the department notes that coyotes are native to California and can be found in diverse habitats, including residential areas. It offers tips for providing conflict with the animals.
Carson Sheriff’s Station also offered tips for avoiding interactions with coyotes: always supervise children outdoors, keep pets on a leash and close to you, avoid leaving food or trash accessible, secure yards and remove attractant and report aggressive wildlife immediately.
“As U.S. landscapes became increasingly plowed and paved over the past couple centuries, wildlife has become less abundant thanks to the loss and fragmentation of habitat,” according to research published by the University of Utah last January. “But not coyotes, North America’s most successful mid-sized predator, which have expanded their range despite eradication campaigns and rapid urbanization.” Audacy even reported on a California coyote that got comfortable on an outdoor couch back in 2023.
