A coyote who bit a 16-month-old child last month was believed to have died after it was shot by state wildlife officials.
Then the injured animal reappeared in a Los Angeles neighborhood.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed in a statement Tuesday that the coyote had survived the initial attempt to euthanize it Oct. 16 in Atwater Village.
The child bitten earlier that day by the coyote was treated at a hospital and released. Authorities later tracked down the animal and announced that they believed the coyote had died. DNA tests showed the coyote that had been shot was the coyote that bit the child, authorities said at the time.
In a statement Tuesday, the CDFW explained what led to the initial October report of the coyote’s death
“While responding to the incident, CDFW wildlife officers encountered the coyote and took action to protect public safety, discharging their firearms and injuring the animal,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday. “Based on the severity of the coyote’s injuries and significant blood loss, officers believed the animal would not survive. A K9 unit was deployed to locate and recover the animal for rabies testing. Despite tracking efforts, officers were unable to locate the coyote after losing its scent. Based on the available evidence at the time, officers believed the animal had succumbed to its injuries.”
The coyote that attacked a 16-month-old child in Atwater Village was illegally being fed by a community member, experts say. Lolita Lopez reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
The same coyote, walking with a limp, later turned up again in the community northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times reported that neighbors noted a resemblance between the coyote who was thought to be dead — an animal they had seen several times — and the one seen limping on the community’s streets. They contacted wildlife specialist Rebecca Dmytryk, who spent a week tracking and observing the animals, and also came to suspect the coyote was the same one that bit the child, the Times reported.
Residents said they had been concerned about the coyote, referred to as Wiley, long before it bit the toddler.
Wildlife officials located the coyote, which has been euthanized, the CDFW said Tuesday.
“Following subsequent reports of a coyote still alive in the Atwater Village area, CDFW Law Enforcement and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted additional efforts to locate the animal,” the department said. “During the early morning hours of November 10, 2026, the coyote was located and humanely euthanized due to the continued public safety threat it posed.”
It was not immediately clear how the animal was euthanized and whether its remains were recovered.
Dmytrk, who worked with people in the neighborhood on matters involving the coyote, told NBCLA it was frustrating to hear the coyote had been killed. She has advocated for the adoption of a progressive coyote response program by the city that would involve an investigation into a coyote’s history before opting for euthanizing the animal.
Dmytrk said it’s possible the coyote imprinted on humans — possibly at one of the community’s nearby homeless encampments — at a critical early development stage, forming an attachment and affecting how it perceives the world around it.
“Nobody did a deep enough dive into this animal’s history early on, or even after the bite, to understand you’re dealing with a completely different animal,” Dmytryk told NBCLA. “This is not a wild coyote that you need to shoot from afar. You can put out a trap and put some food in it, and it will walk in.”
Dmytrk agreed the coyote needed to be removed from the area, but added that, ideally, it would have been captured alive and relocated to a sanctuary.
Coyote safety
- Never feed or attempt to tame coyotes. The result may be deadly conflicts with pets or livestock, or serious injuries to small children.
- Do not leave small children or pets outside unattended.
- Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
- Trim ground-level shrubbery to reduce hiding places.
- Be aware that coyotes are more active in the spring, when feeding and protecting their young.
- If followed by a coyote, make loud noises. If this fails, throw rocks in the animal’s direction.
- If a coyote attacks a person, immediately contact the nearest Department of Fish and Wildlife or law enforcement office.
- Put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over.
- Remove sources of water, especially in dry climates.
- Bring pets in at night, and do not leave pet food outside.
- Avoid using bird feeders as they attract rodents and other coyote prey.
- Provide secure enclosures for rabbits, poultry and other livestock.
- Pick up fallen fruit and cover compost piles.
- Ask your neighbors to follow these tips.