After Coyote Attacked Toddler, Neighbor Who Allegedly Fed the Wild Animal for Months May Be Charged
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The person who allegedly fed a coyote that later attacked a 16-month-old boy in Los Angeles may be facing charges.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has alerted the neighbor and filed a case with the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, according to the Los Angeles Times. The neighbor had allegedly fed the animal illegally for months before the Oct. 16 attack.4we
The identity of the neighbor and additional information have not been disclosed as the case is ongoing, an agency spokesperson told the paper.
Officials said it was the same coyote that bit the toddler in the 3300 block of Glenhurst Avenue in Atwater Village, KNBC reported.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the child was treated at a hospital and later released, according to KCBS. The coyote was found where the attack happened and was later euthanized.
DNA samples taken from the coyote matched samples collected from the child, the Times reported.
Neighbors told the Times that the coyote has been a nuisance since early this year after one of their own started feeding it. They said the animal had been approaching their homes, prompting them to exercise caution with taking their pets out.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles Animal Services did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
A Los Angeles Animal Services spokesperson told the Times that an animal control officer visited the home of the neighbor accused of feeding the coyote in May. The neighbor denied being the feeder, and Animal Services found no evidence of a violation at the home. However, neighbors complained in June.
“The Department did not disregard these complaints,” said Agnes Sibal-von Debschitz of the Los Angeles Animal Services, according to the Times. “Our personnel responded to the location, contacted the individual identified in the complaints, followed up with reporting parties, and coordinated with the state agency responsible for wildlife management.”
Under Los Angeles County Code 10.84.010 , it is illegal to feed a non-domesticated mammalian predator, which includes “coyotes, raccoons, foxes, and opossums.”
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/coyote-attacked-toddler-neighbor-allegedly-205616613.html
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