FILE: A coyote peers around bushes in Southern California on Oct. 14, 2025.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has captured and killed a coyote responsible for two separate attacks on young children in Los Angeles. 

On the morning of Tuesday, March 31, the state wildlife agency responded to a report in Carson, a standalone city in Los Angeles County, where a coyote bit a 4-year-old child in front of his home. With DNA testing, they learned that the same coyote had attacked another young child in the city on Feb. 11.

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“We have now confirmed that we did capture and then humanely euthanize, following DNA testing, the coyote responsible for both of those attacks,” Cort Klopping, a Fish and Wildlife spokesperson, told SFGATE on Friday morning.

The agency is also investigating whether the coyote might have been responsible for two additional attacks in the region. It received these reports on Thursday after the fact. 

On Monday, March 30, a coyote bit another very young child in Carson, according to Klopping. And a 31-year-old woman said a coyote bit her on March 26 in nearby Gardena; she had already thrown away her clothes and showered, but the agency recently sent out DNA collected from her wounds.

“We do believe that the coyote may have been drawn into the populated areas by smells of attractants, like food waste, unsecured trash cans, pet food left outside,” Klopping said. “We’re trying to put out a friendly reminder to the community that removing attractants can really help to keep these animals at bay.”

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Conflicts with coyotes typically increase during pupping season, which runs roughly from spring until fall. This is not the first time the agency has shot and killed coyotes after they attacked children in California.

The young child attacked on Tuesday went to the hospital with minor injuries from two bites, according to the Carson Sheriff’s Station.

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The station advised, in a community safety notice, to supervise kids outdoors, keep pets on a leash, secure yards, clean up trash and report any aggressive wildlife right away.

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Residents should call the Carson Sheriff’s Station immediately in the case of a coyote attack or bite: 310-830-1123. For nonemergency coyote encounters, contact California Fish and Wildlife at 858-467-4257. 

San Francisco Animal Care & Control provides extensive advice for managing coyotes encounters, strongly advising hikers to put their dogs on leashes and keep their distance. 

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