A coyote bit a child in Moraga Tuesday morning, marking at least the fourth coyote attack to occur in the Lamorinda area since last summer.
The child was walking with their parent around 8:30 a.m. in the area of Calle La Montana and Campolindo Drive when the coyote "attacked and bit the child without warning," police said.
"I heard her scream and I looked down and a coyote was biting her," the parent, identified only as Jackie, said. "So, I screamed and yelled. The coyote at that point let go. I kept screaming and yelling and jumping and waving a blanket I had in my hand."
The animal took off and was last seen running north on Calle La Montana, police said.
Jackie said her daughter, though quite traumatized, is back home and recovering after being taken to the hospital.
Back in December, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed that one coyote was responsible for three attacks that happened in Lamorinda between July and December of 2020.
It wasn't immediately known if the coyote involved in Tuesday's attack is the same one responsible for the previous attacks.
"We can confirm it was a coyote, and potentially we could confirm that it's the same coyote that's responsible for three other attacks in that immediate vicinity," CDFW Capt. Patrick Foy said.
If people encounter coyotes, they are encouraged to make loud noises. If that doesn't work, people should throw rocks in the coyote's direction.
