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COYOTE ATTACK! Horrifying video shows toddler being mauled by coyote at Huntington Beach

The wild animal mauled the child for a good 15 seconds before her family members noticed

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: A toddler ended up in hospital after being ferociously attacked by a coyote at a California beach. The horrifying incident was captured on a surveillance camera, which showed the wild animal mauling the child for 15 seconds before her family members noticed.

The attack reportedly occured on Thursday, April 28, at around 9:45 pm in the night at Huntington Beach when the toddler’s mother took her along with her sibling to the seaside. The video showed the kid playing by herself as the animal came near her and pushed her onto the sand. It then jumped and attacked the youngster’s face before the adults noticed the wild animal and ran to rescue the child.

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You can watch the video here.

The name and age of the little one has not been revealed to the public. However, reports state that she is between the age of two and three. After the attack, she was rushed to the hospital as she had suffered injuries, which were serious but not life-threatening. Authorities also went on a hunt to catch the coyote. They killed two coyotes in the hope that one of them was behind the attack. But later, it was reported that neither animal was responsible.

The LA Times reported that a third coyote - “believed to have been the one behind the mauling" - was also shot, but it survived and scurried away before the cops could catch it. Officers took samples from the girl's wounds to check if the coyote had rabies.

Captain Patrick Foy with the Huntington Beach Police Department said: “There's no evidence to suggest the coyote was rabid, but that test will certainly help alleviate any concerns the family might have.” Foy also gave advice on how to avoid wild animals as he added: “Don't feed them. That's the most important thing we can do as a society to keep coyotes from being too comfortable around people.”

Marc Cota-Robles, a TV journalist in Los Angeles, tweeted about the incident, saying: “Young child attacked by coyote on the sand in Huntington Beach. | Details on @ABC7 at 4:30am.” In another tweet, he noted: “Coyote found dead on Huntington dog beach this morning not believed to be same coyote involved in last night’s child attack. Police say 2 coyotes were shot — coyote believed to be involved in child attack was not captured. @ABC7.”

Cota-Robles’ tweets attracted a lot of attention with one user posting: “Was it the camera angle or did the parents seem less than worried about a coyote chewing on their toddler? I felt that to be even more disturbing then the attack.” A second comment added, “You can’t take your focus off of a small child like that for that long in that environment. They didn’t hear anything either? Parents learn from this! You can do so much better.” Others were similarly critical of the adults. “She got up all calm pulling her pants up and holding her phone while that baby ran right passed her. Didn't immediately pick her up and make sure she is okay or anything. That's crazy!!!” remarked another user.