The City of Irvine is on high alert following a spate of coyote attacks on several small children in the area.
Over the past six weeks, four children have been assailed by the wild canines, including a two-year-old who was bitten on the face and neck while in the family’s garage. That prompted a warning from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, issued on July 10.
“These incidents highlight the importance of communities working together to eliminate sources of food that may attract wildlife to neighborhoods,” Capt. Rebecca Hartman said. “When coyotes are fed, either intentionally or unintentionally by food being left out, they can become a public safety threat.”
Officials are concerned that the animals are becoming increasingly aggressive toward humans. They have advised people to pick up their children and pets in the presence of a coyote and to throw rocks to keep them at bay.
Irvine isn’t the old city in Orange County with a coyote problem. Seal Beach approved a coyote trapping program last year amid numerous attacks on residents’ pets. Some experts have surmised that the drought is partially to blame for pushing coyotes and other wildlife towards populated communities in search of water.
Read more about the recent attacks here.
Image Credit: Flickr User jitze1942, https://flic.kr/p/3EKyWJ, (CC BY 2.0)