It was a beautiful morning on June 18.
Even more so for two Bay Area moms enjoying a playdate with their toddlers in Golden Gate Park's botanical garden.
But that was quickly disrupted when a coyote emerged from the trees near their picnic blanket.
According to reporting by SFGate, the wild animal charged toward the one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half-year-olds playing with a ball about 8 feet away from their mothers.
The older child ran toward her screaming mother, but the younger froze.
The mother, Katlin Zimmer, wanted to try to stop the attack. But she quickly realized the coyote was moving too fast for that. She dove to snatch up her child, and made eye contact with the animal.
"It caused him to hesitate a beat and it allowed me to swoop her up," said Zimmer. They were so close, they practically brushed its fur, she said.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. Later that afternoon, a coyote struck again in the same park. San Francisco mom Laila O'Boyle was relaxing in the Great Meadow with her three kids when a coyote approached them at about 4 p.m., acting unusually curious and comfortable with humans.
The animal first sauntered near her 15-month-old twin boy standing behind her. As she clutched her son, the coyote pivoted to her 15-month-old twin girl sitting in the grass.
Boyle scooped up her little girl too, but the coyote didn’t leave right away. It lingered until people began slamming the garbage can lids, she said.
The women reported the incidents to the city.
Deb Campbell, a spokesperson for Animal Care and Control, said it's likely the same animal in both incidents. That coyote has been fed regularly for years and has become comfortable with humans. But this hasn't been officially confirmed.
"Feeding makes coyotes lose their natural fear of humans," Campbell said. "They become used to seeking out people for easy handouts — not a good thing. It’s why feeding wildlife is illegal, and it puts both animals and humans at risk.”
This isn't the first time a coyote has gotten terrifyingly close to children in Golden Gate Park. In October, a grandmother told SFGATE that a coyote with its mouth open and teeth bared charged toward her 2-year-old grandson.
“We’re checking into the recent reports carefully to see how they differ from other reports. We are concerned," said Campbell.
San Francisco parks have several signs alerting visitors to coyotes. And when reports are issued, officials take precautions.
"We have closed off numerous areas due to denning activities, and the garden’s visitor experience staff is warning visitors about increased coyote activity," said Tamara Barak Aparton, a spokesperson for Recreation and Parks.
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