Horror footage shows coyote stalk and attack toddler before mauling another child in park nearby
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Arizona authorities are hunting for a large coyote that severely mauled a 21-month-old toddler before escaping and attacking another child in a nearby playground. Kelly Pirozzi, the toddler's mother, said the incident happened on Wednesday, March 21 when she standing on the driveway of her $2.1M family house, where the animal ambushed her toddler and bit his arm before she was able to save him.
"It happened so quickly," the surgeon told ABC news, adding her baby only sustained minor bite marks in the attack. The horrific incident was captured on Pirozzi’s home security camera. In the footage, the toddler was seen gently walking towards their Scottsdale house as his mother turned around to unload the car. However, as the child was walking away, the coyote, hidden in the bushes, was spotted quietly stalking him before the attack, according to Daily Mail.
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Coyote left second toddler with 'scrape marks on his stomach'
Pirozzi said that after lunging at her son and biting his arm, the animal ultimately let go after the boy screamed. Later on, the coyote was seen ominously scouring the area on camera. Shortly after the incident, the coyote attacked another child in a playground next to an elementary school, barely half a mile distant from the first incident.
The second victim had several "scrape marks on his stomach," according to Darren Julian, an urban wildlife specialist with Arizona Game and Fish. Authorities suspect the same coyote was responsible for both assaults. Julian advised local parents to be "particularly attentive" while the threat is still at large due to the fast series of attacks. According to a statement from Arizona's Game and Fish Department, the "coyote shows little fear of people and may have been illegally fed in the past."
Officials issue warning
“Parents of toddlers in the area should keep their children close when outdoors and be vigilant until AZGFD is able to locate and remove the offending coyote,” authorities statement read. The department noted that Scottsdale police were assisting it in its patrols of the neighbourhood. Officials also warned that feeding coyotes can make them lose their fear of humans, and increase risks of attacks. The wildlife expert reportedly said that coyote attacks were uncommon, with the most recent occurrences being the first in the Phoenix region since 2017.
This incident comes just months after a brave father heroically saved his two-year-old daughter from a vicious coyote who tried to drag her away, outside their LA home. The shocking attack took place on Friday, December 2, 2022, and was captured on the family's doorbell camera. The little girl suffered some injuries but fortunately, it was not life-threatening. California officials took the young girl's bloody clothes in order to match the DNA with the coyote so they could trap and euthanize the animal