Coyote bites grocery store clerk as reported attacks spike in California, officials say

A grocery store clerk became the third victim of a coyote attack in the Lafayette, California area in the last six months, the Department of Fish and Wildlife reported.

The employee was attacked Tuesday night behind Diablo Foods, according to KTVU. It’s about 1.6 miles from Campolindo High School in Moraga, where the same coyote attacked a man earlier this month, Patrick Foy, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, told McClatchy News.

CDFW determined it was the same coyote responsible for the last two attacks through DNA analysis of the animal’s saliva, according to Foy. The agency is working to determine the coyote’s location, Foy said.

Same ‘aggressive’ coyote

The coyote attacked a man who was doing push-ups at the high school on Dec. 4, Foy told McClatchy in a phone interview. The victim had to hit the animal to get it off of him, according to Foy.

It was exceptionally unusual due to “the level of viciousness” with which the coyote bit the man’s leg, leaving deep bite wounds, Foy said. The victim’s “pants were driven to the Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Sacramento where CDFW forensics scientists managed to isolate a full coyote DNA profile from the location where the offending coyote’s teeth went through the pant legs and ultimately into the victim’s skin,” Foy said.

The first attack took place on July 9 at a park about two miles from Campolindo High, according to Foy. The victim was a 2 year old, whose nanny had to hit the coyote with a bike helmet “to drive it away,” Foy said.

CDFW received additional reports of “an aggressive coyote … in the vicinity” on Dec. 8, but it’s unknown whether it’s the same animal because no attacks took place,” according to Foy.

Unusually vicious behavior

While coyote attacks are still rare, Foy says, this year CDFW has recorded a spike in attacks across the state. While the usual average is about one per year, the latest attack is the eighth to be reported in California in 2020, according to Foy.

In the last few years, Foy says, there have been reports of coyotes “aggressively” approaching people while they’re walking small dogs. Sometimes, coyotes will snatch up the small dogs while they’re walking and take off, according to Foy.

Foy says the department isn’t sure why there’s been an increase in aggressive coyote behavior.

Coyotes are omnivores, “they eat anything,” according to Foy. They’re very resourceful and unlike most wildlife, coyotes have “largely benefitted from human encroachment,” Foy said.

They’re often drawn into communities by small pets and “between little kids and small animals, they see prey,” according to Foy. House cats are especially at risk, since they are “no match for a coyote,” Foy said.

This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Coyote bites grocery store clerk as reported attacks spike in California, officials say."