Three animals killed after a coyote bit a child in the San Francisco Botanical Garden

A 5-year-old girl was attacked and bitten by a coyote during a trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, prompting three coyotes to be euthanized over the weekend, officials said.

The girl was bitten on Friday and was treated at a hospital, confirmed Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s law enforcement division. Officials took a DNA sample from her wound to try to identify the coyote that bit her.

Two coyotes were killed in the area on Saturday and another on Sunday, Foy confirmed. One of the coyotes killed had a positive DNA test, he said. Results of a rabies test were not yet available.

The child had been playing at the botanical gardens during a summer camp outing, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Her mother, Helen Sparrow, told the newspaper that she ran away but tripped and the coyote “bit her in the butt as she was lying on the ground.” Sparrow told the Chronicle that her wound was stitched up at the hospital.

Coyote activity in California increases during the summer months

Coyotes are native to California. Although the state’s wildlife agency says attacks are rare, they have been known to seriously injure young children. Coyotes are more active during the warmer months, particularly March through August, because they are raising their young and foraging for food.

Friday’s attack was not the first time coyotes have come close to young children in Golden Gate Park. In June 2021, SFGate reported that a coyote charged at two toddlers playing near their mothers at the Botanical Gardens. One of the mothers, Katlin Zimmer, told the newspaper she dove between the coyote and her baby, causing the animal to hesitate and giving them time to back away from it.

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Later that same afternoon, the newspaper reported, another family had an encounter with a coyote that had gotten too close to young children. They were not injured and the coyote disappeared after people chased it away, witnesses said. According to SFGate, other incidents of coyotes getting close to children have been reported before.

In recent decades, coyotes have re-established themselves in the city, and dens have formed in people’s yards, according to San Francisco Recreation and Parks. Residents are encouraged to “harass” the coyotes, trying to scare them away by making loud noises and gesturing with their arms to appear larger.

Coyotes are also being spotted more and more in Southern California, the city of Fountain Valley warned last month.

What to do if you encounter a coyote?

Wildlife officials say it’s important not to let coyotes become too familiar with humans, so you should never feed them or try to domesticate them. Always keep your pets on a leash and don’t leave them outside unattended. Coyotes will try to eat garbage, so keep it in sealed containers.

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