How the East Bay s biting coyote eluded capture for 245 days
Zachary Fletcher
FacebookTwitterEmail
A California coyote on the run.ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
It had been 200 days since a coyote started biting people in the East Bay. Five victims, including two toddlers, were attacked in Moraga and Lafayette. The search for the animal was unprecedented, with urban wildlife trackers working around the clock, and agencies at the local, state and federal levels collaborating to set and monitor traps, and collect DNA swabs from the victims, all to find a single animal the size of a coffee table.
Capt. Patrick Foy with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has seen his share of coyote incidents there were a dozen across the state in 2020. There were also three mountain lion attacks and six bear attacks that year, but this coyote fiasco was different. Each new attack was upping the ante, with news reports terrifying the citizens of Contra Costa County. As the days
The coyote that attacked multiple people has been captured and killed msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Vera Kochan
Bigstock images For the past eight months, a lone coyote has been attributed to five DNA confirmed attacks within Lafayette and Moraga which have taken place primarily at dusk or dawn. The first attack, on July 9, 2020, involved a 2-year-old boy near the parking lot restrooms at the Moraga Commons Park. A second attack, on Dec. 4, took place at the Campolindo High School stadium where a man was bitten while exercising. Another attack came on Dec. 15 behind Lafayette s Diablo Foods while an employee was taking a break. The next incident occurred on Feb. 16 when a 3-year-old girl was bitten during a walk with her mother two blocks away from Campolindo on Calle La Montana. The most recent attack on an adult male came Feb. 19 near the Kwik Stop in Lafayette.
Fifth Person Attacked by California Coyote Says It Is Terrorizing People
On 2/26/21 at 12:27 PM EST
A California man said he didn t see it coming when a coyote bit him on the leg in Lafayette on February 18.
Five people including two young children have been attacked by a coyote in the same general area of California since last summer, with two incidents reported this month, according to local police and news reports.
The five attacks have all taken place in and around the regions of Lafayette and Moraga, according to The Mercury News.
In the most recent incident, 20-year-old John Stevenson was bitten on the leg in Lafayette while he was sat down outside of a Quik Stop. The coyote then let go after Stevenson stood up, NBC Bay Area reported. As a result he has had to take tetanus and rabies shots. Footage taken after the incident showed four puncture wounds on either side of Stevenson s leg.