Large Coyote With "Little Fear Of People" Injures 2 Toddlers In Separate Attacks In Arizona

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking residents of Scottsdale to be on the watch for a large coyote that injured two toddlers in the city.

The first child was injured on Saturday, near Aztec Park, and the second was injured three days later at a residence about two miles from the park, the department said on Facebook. 

Neither child has been identified, but the department said that they were treated for minor injuries and then released. 

The department asked that anyone who sees a coyote in the area of 94th Street and Thompson Peak Parkway along the Central Arizona Project canal report the sighting immediately. 

The department noted that the coyote "shows little fear of people" and said that it "may have been illegally fed in the past." 

Parents of toddlers and young children should keep their kids close when outdoors in the area, the department said, and remain vigilant until the coyote is found and removed. The department will patrol the area with assistance from the Scottsdale Police Department.

The incident comes about three months after surveillance video showed a two-year-old girl being attacked by a coyote in broad daylight on the front lawn of a home in Los Angeles.

Coyotes are dog-like animals that typically weigh between 15 and 46 pounds and can be found in a variety of environments, most typically open areas like prairies and deserts. They are nocturnal omnivores and typically avoid people, but if they have been fed they lose fear of people and may get closer than expected, the Humane Society of the United States says. They may also mistake small pets as prey.

Fatal coyote attacks are extremely rare, the society says on their website, with only two incidents of coyotes killing humans in the United States and Canada. Coyotes who have bitten a person are usually located and captured to be tested for rabies. 

If you see a coyote, the society recommends raising your arms and yelling to drive the animal away.