Girl, 2, Attacked By Coyote In Southern California
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) -- The neighborhood near Irvine's Silverado Park is on edge following a coyote's attack on a 2-year-old girl.
The Orange County Register reports that animal control officers were searching the region for the coyote after the Friday evening attack.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Lt. Kent Smirl says the girl was bending over when a coyote came out of the bushes, jumped on top of her and grabbed her by the neck.
He says the girl was bruised but not bitten, so she won't need rabies shots.
Smirl says coyote attacks on humans are rare but can happen, especially if people feed the animals.
Irvine Police Department spokeswoman Farrah Emami says the Animal Services Division is trained to track and monitor coyote movements.
She says people can scare coyotes off by appearing bigger and yelling.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.