Atwater Village members planned to meet Tuesday to discuss coyote encounter mitigation after a toddler was nipped, leading to the killing by wildlife officials of what was believed to have been the offending animal.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers responded to the 3300 block of Glenhurst Avenue on Friday after getting a report that a 16-month-old child was injured in an unspecified coyote-related incident.
The child was treated at a hospital and released, according to the CDFW.
During the evening hours on Friday, a coyote was tracked and killed in the same area, but it was not immediately confirmed if the animal was the same one that bit the child.
Officials obtained DNA samples from the child and the coyote and the samples were to be analyzed to determine if it is indeed the same coyote, said CDFW spokesman Cort Klopping.
Neighbors in the area said a coyote nicknamed Wylie had been seen in the area in recent months, with some speculating that people were leaving food and water for it.
According to broadcast reports, a community meeting was planned for Tuesday to discuss how to prevent human-coyote encounters while keeping pets safe as well, as neighbors report increasing numbers of the crafty canines combing the area.
In the meantime, the CDFW offers the following advice in the event of a coyote encounter,
–Keep a safe distance and back away slowly;
–Keep small children and pets close to you;
–Make loud noise: yell, clap, blow a whistle; and
–Make yourself look bigger; for example, wave your arms.
“Let the coyote leave the immediate area on its own,” the CDFW advises. “If a coyote makes contact, fight back! Then call animal control or 9-1-1.”