A neighbor who allegedly fed a wild coyote in Atwater Village for months may now face a criminal charge after a 16-month-old toddler was bitten in the neighborhood, according to authorities.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have contacted the individual and will file a case with the Los Angeles city attorney’s office for illegal feeding of wildlife, department spokesperson Cort Klopping wrote in an email Wednesday.
No further information, including the identity of the neighbor, was available as the case was ongoing, according to Klopping.
The city attorney’s office didn’t respond to requests for more information Wednesday.
Earlier this week, a coyote euthanized by state wildlife officials was confirmed to be the one responsible for last Friday’s attack on a toddler in the 3300 block of Glenhurst Avenue in Atwater Village, according to Fish and Wildlife.
Residents say the coyote had been a nuisance in the area since January, when a neighbor began feeding it. In interviews with The Times, residents said the coyote started approaching people’s homes — one had to yell at the animal when he saw it approaching — and others said they stopped taking their pets outside, fearing an attack.
Los Angeles Animal Services said in a statement that the agency was “disturbed and saddened” by the incident.
“Our thoughts are with the child and family, and we recognize the serious concerns expressed by residents regarding coyote activity in their neighborhood,” spokesperson Agnes Sibal-von Debschitz wrote in an email.
An animal control officer went to the house of the person reportedly feeding the coyote on May 20, according to Sibal-von Debschitz. The person denied feeding the coyote and allowed the officer to examine the property, which yielded no evidence for filing a violation. More residents complained about the coyote in June.
“The Department did not disregard these complaints,” Sibal-von Debschitz wrote. “Our personnel responded to the location, contacted the individual identified in the complaints, followed up with reporting parties, and coordinated with the state agency responsible for wildlife management.”
It’s illegal to feed undomesticated mammalian predators, including coyotes, but establishing that a crime occurred required evidence that animal services did not initially find, the agency said. It was unclear what additional evidence has emerged to prompt referral to the city attorney’s office.
Experts warn against feeding coyotes in residential neighborhoods, yards or parks because the animals can lose their fear of people and eventually test humans and pets as potential prey, according to the Urban Coyote Project.
Coyote attacks on humans are rare, with only about 10 nonfatal attacks occurring each year in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Urban Coyote Project. Only two human deaths have ever been confirmed by biologists.
A coyote that fails to exhibit fear toward humans or behaves aggressively should be reported to wildlife officials, authorities say.
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