thebajarunner
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Coyote defenders- take note
Any more coyote defenders out there???
Simi Valley Child Mauled by Coyote; 3 Others Are Attacked
Mother's cries scare it away as it tries to drag the 3-year-old from his porch. The animal, which is killed by police, is tested for rabies.
By Lynne Barnes
Times Staff Writer
June 8, 2004
Police fatally shot a coyote after it tried to drag a 3 1/2-year-old Simi Valley boy off his front porch Sunday night and attacked three other
children playing on a nearby street.
The boy, Weston Field, was playing outside his Hill Valley Court home around 7 p.m. Sunday when the 45-pound coyote pounced on him, biting him on the
neck, ear, head, hand, back and face.
Weston's mother, Debbie, had walked down the driveway to gather some toys when she heard the boy scream.
"He's allergic to dogs, so he's afraid of them," Debbie Field said. "I heard him scream. When I came around the corner, the coyote was right on top of
my son."
The animal had grabbed Weston, who weighs about 34 pounds, by the head and neck and tried to drag him away before Debbie Field's screams scared it
off.
After treatment by paramedics, Weston was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, where he received 13 stitches in his face and
head. As he was leaving, about midnight, Weston got an ovation from those in the emergency room, Debbie Field said.
On Monday, Weston was in good spirits at home."He wants me to turn off the [coverage at the] Reagan library and put on 'Star Wars,' " said his father,
Jeff, a pharmacist.
The attacks began about 6:45 p.m. on Parkview Court in western Simi Valley, when the animal approached two toddlers, ages 2 and 3, who were playing in
a backyard. The coyote, a female about 8 months old and the size of a small collie, bit both boys on the ankle through a fence before being chased off
by neighbors.
The animal next attacked an 8-year-old boy playing hockey in the street on Twisted Oak Drive. He suffered only scratches.
Police responded within moments after Weston was attacked, Jeff Field said, and killed the animal.
Such attacks are rare, particularly for Ventura County, said Lt. Chris Long of the state Department of Fish and Game.
"There has been some aggressive behavior by coyotes over the years," he said, "but this is the first I remember" in Ventura County, where Long has
worked since 1990.
"They do get quite a few in L.A. County, but not here."
Ventura County animal control supervisor Lou Stearns agreed, saying she had not heard of any in the 25 years she's been on the job.
The county's animal control department is examining the coyote, but preliminary tests have not found evidence of rabies. The test will be repeated
today. Three of the four injured children began rabies shots Monday as a precaution.
Debbie Field said the family, who moved to their home about a year ago from another in Simi Valley, had seen coyotes at a distance but never up close.
On Monday, she wanted to get the word out about the danger.
"Especially after the fires, anyone in the burn areas needs to know that their child is susceptible to a coyote attack," she said.
Stearns said her department handed out pamphlets Monday to remind residents to stay on guard.
Although the coyote's behavior was unusual, "they do see kids as prey," she said.
In Simi Valley, "you're in an area that's pretty populated with coyotes. People need to watch their kids," she said.
She said that some coyotes may have relocated to the green part of the city, away from the burn areas.
There were 89 coyote attacks on humans in California between the late 1970s and December 2003, according to a report cited by the state Department of
Fish and Game. Nearly 80% of them occurred in the last decade, the report said.
Long said most of the attacks come during the springtime, when female coyotes are protecting their young.
He added that although coyote attacks are rare, coyotes aren't.
"An actual bite is out of the ordinary, but coyotes interacting with people is not that uncommon. We've got a lot of houses up in their habitat," he
said.
"I live in Ventura, and at night, it's not that unusual to see coyotes."
*
(Begin Text of Infobox)
Preventing an attack
The state Department of Fish and Game has issued some safety tips for those in areas where coyotes may live:
? Never feed a coyote, either by design or by leaving pet food or garbage where they can get it. Store pet food indoors and use trash cans with lids
that clamp shut.
? Clear brush and dense weeds from around dwellings. That reduces protective cover for coyotes and makes the area less attractive to rodents, which
coyotes eat.
? Protect children. Never leave them unattended, even in familiar surroundings, such as a backyard.
? Protect pets and livestock. Keep small pets, such as cats, rabbits and small dogs, indoors, especially at night.
? Use negative reinforcement. Make loud noises, throw rocks or spray coyotes with a garden hose. To keep coyotes wild or to prevent them from
becoming habituated to humans, it is important that they retain their natural wariness of humans.
? Remove sources of water, especially in dry climates.
? Pick up fallen fruit and cover compost piles.
? Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
*
*Experts warn never to leave children unattended in areas where coyotes can be found.
*
Los Angeles Times
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jrbaja
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Have at em
DB and company! hahahahahahaha
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MrBillM
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Coyotes Gotta Eat, Too.
Seriously, though, there is nothing new to Coyotes roaming the
urban environment. Out in Yucca Valley we expect them to be
around because we adjoin the open desert, but back when I worked
up in Ontario, Calif and drove to work at daybreak, I used to
see them all the time roaming the empty streets adjacent to the
freeway. They'll always be around. Ranchers and others have
tried everything and they still come back.
Interestingly, I have noticed just this year in the San Felipe
area that they have become much less concerned about Human
interaction. I see them all the time on the road adjacent to
the beach in close proximity to Human Beings and they sometimes
don't even budge as cars drive by. They come right up to my back
fence in Percebu. People need to watch their kids and pets.
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sin nombre
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Yes, and what do you expect after the natural habitat of Coyotes and others has been paved over or otherwise removed? What options are left for them?
Where do you propose they go? A Coyote attack is still rare, but how many kids are mauled by the family dog? Or their neighbor's dog? It happens
all the time.
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gonetobaja
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Most attacks are not fatal.
My friend brad caught a coyote at the Rockodile in San Felipe. She was huge, and clearly a very dangerous animal. We warned him not to feed her or
give her any beer but he didnt listen. Later that night she attacked him and we had to run in screaming at her so she would let him go.
My friend is alive today because of our quick actions. We asked him why he didnt listen to us and all he could manage to say was "fur so soft...".
People need to be carefull they dont realize how serious these things can get.
GTB
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El Almirante
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Coyote Defender
Just to be consistent- If we're going to kill all coyotes due to rare attacks by a few, I think we should also kill all dogs in a neighborhood when
one attacks someone, or maybe kill all of the same breed, or with some of the same mix in it,when that breed is the killer. So that if a Lab or Boxer
attacks some one, all of that breed or mix should be killed in that neighborhood.That would solve the "problem"-right? Heck, why stop with the
neighborhood-let's make it statewide-or why stop there- let's go Federal with this-just amend the Patriot Act!
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Natalie Ann
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El Almirante - Taking you suggestion one step further: Mike Tyson bit off someone's ear... we could kill all boxers. 
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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JESSE
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Kill all the Coyotes you want in your country, but hurt my Coyotes and i am calling in the federales.
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BajaVida
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pit bulls are much more dangerous and more common
should we start there?
No se apure y dure.
Don\'t hurry and you\'ll last longer.
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thebajarunner
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Pit bulls v. coyotes
B.V.
occasionally we agree, even though I hate to admit it. I cringe whenever I see a pit bull, unrestrained.
However, the only difference between pit bulls and coyotes is you go to jail if you shoot your neighbor's pit bull, you get pats on the back if you
shoot the coyote in your neighbor's yard.
Ah the law, such a strange creation, isn't it??
Baja Arriba!!
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BajaVida
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I am not a dog person
but are not pit bulls bred to be mean and look mean?
No se apure y dure.
Don\'t hurry and you\'ll last longer.
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Margie
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We hear them at night yipping here, but this was unreal: driving back into Real Del Mar, there's a great soccer field where I take the pups to run,
there was a huge, really large Bobcat running across the road. It was strange because Bobcats are nocturnal and very shy. I hope it wasn't sick.
[Edited on 6-10-2004 by Margie]
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N2Baja
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Oh, man. Those poor kids. I'm glad they'll be okay, and I hope their nightmares aren't too bad. You're right, MrBillM, the coyotes around San
Felipe are more aggressive recently. Be glad you don't live next to my neighbor, who puts food out for them.
(by the way, regarding my neighbor, he's left for the summer and won't be back until November. So, the free coyote buffet at our campo is closed
until then. I just wish I'd gotten to talk to him before he left; I missed him by only two hours, dang!)
Forget about the danger and think of the fun.
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jrbaja
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So what happened
to the genius with the marshmallows ? And since many of these threads have nothing to do with Baja, last time I was in Yellowstone as a visitor (I
used too drive a laundry truck up there) we had a whole bunch of smoked trout. We dispersed it everywhere to attract bears. Including on top of
certain (peoples) motorhomes
They were a little obnoxious and we were a little young!
Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it including no bears.
But, we tried.
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Desertbull
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Coyote's...
The old Puertocitos road is coyote haven....see em' all the time day and night!
This thread must have the Wyoming *shedevil* running in circles...LOL Better keep McClure on a leash so the Coyotes don't get him...
Desertbull...on Coyote Patrol from Pete's Camp!!!!!! ROTFLMAO
[Edited on 6-10-2004 by Desertbull]
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jrbaja
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Too funny DB
hope yer catchin fish and not wasting to much time with this guano hahahahahaha
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jide
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otro tipo de coyote
"Welcome to tijuana, con el coyote no hay duana"
Manu Chao 
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