California 2-Year-Old Dragged From Yard by Coyote in Third Such Attack in Five Days

Associated Press ^ | May 07, 2008

[kingattax]

LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. — A coyote grabbed a 2-year-old girl by the head and tried to drag her from the front yard of her mountain home in the third incident of a coyote threatening a small child in Southern California in five days, authorities said.

The coyote attacked the girl around noon Tuesday when her mother, Melissa Rowley, went inside the home for a moment to put away a camera, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in an incident report.

Rowley came out of the house and saw the coyote dragging her daughter towards a street. She ran towards her daughter, and the animal released the girl and ran away, said sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire.

[Western Phil]

“my dog would have and the coyote would have been dead meat”

I hope your dog is a quiet one. Its illegal for dogs to bark in many incorporated areas.

[Salamander]

We have them here and they’re NOT the scrawny little things you see out west.
DNA tests suggest that they are wolf hybrids.

They are big, bold and do not fear humans.

A pack of them backed my dad down a ridge above my house.

Luckily, he was able to walk backwards [as they followed him] down to his truck where he retrieved his rifle.

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=458&q=150783

After putting up with annual spring newborn livestock slaughters, the farmers started killing them.

We have less than we did but now have mountain lions headed this way.

[the DNR boldly denies their presence here *but* posts warnings everywhere about it being a felony to kill them plus a $10,000 fine. These fliers also list a 24/7 “Mountain Lion” hotline for sightings]

[calex59]

Yet you’ll do 5 years in prison if you shoot one (a coyote).

Below is a direct copy and paste from California fish and game regulations. Some people haven't got a clue about California, yep, there are some really liberal people here, but there are also some really conservative people and what a lot of us try to do is make sure we know what we are talking about before we say anything.

COYOTE SEASON is open year round with no bag or possession limits.

[Jemian]

OK, I’ll stop worrying.

[kennyboy509]

You can have it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[processing please hold]

Uh...ok, but his name was on screen.

Shhhhh, I'm sure it's a privacy issue for our FReeper.

His name is Kevin. :)

[DoughtyOne]

I’m refering to three insidents over the last week. In each instance, the coyote got his jaws on the child. I’m not trying to give moms a hard time. One of the kids was being watched by a nanny. It is still undeniable that these kids were not protected well enough. If I cared about my kid, I would definately make sure they were.

If a father was the responsible party in one of these, the same comments apply. I appreciate your take on it. I’m sure others will chime in to say the same thing.

Sorry, I’m not buying it. Young children don’t leave your site for a moment unless they are in the house and it’s child proofed.

I may sound like a hard-arse on the subject, but I’ve been through those years and I know what I did under situations like this. It isn’t unreasonable.

[absalom01]

Calex, you beat me to it.

Here’s the whole section:
(a) The following nongame birds and mammals
may be taken at any time of the year and in any
number except as prohibited in Chapter 6: English
sparrow, starling, coyote, weasels, skunks,
opossum, moles and rodents (excluding tree and
flying squirrels, and those listed as furbearers,
endangered or threatened species).

BUT, ya better only be shootin’ at the varmints in a place where it’s otherwise legal to discharge a firearm....the neighbors sometimes complain if you perforate their living room windows whilst shooting at the the ole canis latrans...

[goodnesswins]

tagline update

[spanalot]

.22 magnum

I have been wanting to buy one for some time.

[Crim]

“She was playing in her yard. You can not keep an eye on them every second.”

As a father of three...Yes cindy..you can...

[Twinkie]

S S S - The three “S’s”.

[spanalot]

I think the child was in the front yard on a suburban development.

[Inyo-Mono]

Some people haven't got a clue about California, yep, there are some really liberal people here, but there are also some really conservative people and what a lot of us try to do is make sure we know what we are talking about before we say anything.

Thanks. Like you, I get really tired of the California bashing. We have guns, we shoot them, and many of us here go hunting.

[TNdandelion]

Yes, but not at 2yrs old! LOL

[My hearts in London - Everett]

Same here, but only after having been taught what the “yard” was and wasn’t. :~]

[PAR35]

A 2 year old child doesn’t belong in an unfenced yard unless an adult is within about 12 feet.

[CindyDawg]

Just a couple of comments...yeah if you have a wolf problem in the neighborhood the situation is different.

Completely off topic but I don't childproof my house. I put up dangerous stuff but all the other is left down and the child must learn to leave it alone. My DIL and I disagree. She wants to put everything up high. I believe in teaching "look but don't touch"

[spanalot]

wasnt someone right there chasing it off?

I think the coyote is to blame.

[CindyDawg]

For what it’s worth I agree they shouldn’t be left alone in an unfenced yard. I don’t know why I was thinking the yard was fenced or how I thought the wolf got in. Just thinking about here I guess.People do get distracted at times though , no matter how good a parent they are.