It's Cunning, It's Hungry, It's the Neighborhood Coyote

It's a scene Jag Saikumar is unlikely to forget. During a sunset stroll at an Irvine park, a coyote rushed from the bushes and attacked his 3-year-old son, Kaushik.

"He just charged. I barely saw him out of the corner of my eye," Saikumar said.

The animal snapped at the boy's right knee, the force from the charge knocking the child to the ground. It then lunged for the boy's neck. "I was screaming, 'Get out! Get out! Leave him alone!'" Saikumar recalled.

He yanked a slipper from his foot and threw it at the coyote, which snatched it and began chewing. "That was the window I needed, and I yelled to my son, 'Run, baby, run!'"

The boy ran into his father's arms; they backed away from the coyote. Police, responding to Saikumar's cell phone call, shot and killed the animal. His son was treated for puncture wounds and had to endure a series of rabies shots. "I will never underestimate a wild animal again," Saikumar said.

Though still rare, coyote attacks like the one on Kaushik Saikumar last year have increased alarmingly in Southern California's urban fringes, wildlife experts say. More common are coyote sightings or calls from frantic pet owners telling animal control officers a coyote attacked their cat or small dog.

Last year, the state Department of Fish and Game recorded 17 coyote attacks on people in its vast southern region. Eight, like that on Saikumar's son, resulted in injuries requiring hospitalization. In 2000, there were only three attacks.

This year, there had been no reported attacks until May 11. A man walking an 80-pound dog in the canyons in the Hollywood Hills was stalked and then chased by five coyotes, said Mervin Hee, Fish and Game patrol chief for the southern region, which includes Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The man was not injured in the attack.

"A lot of the things that happened last year happened after coyote pups were coming out of the den with the mother in late spring. She's desperately hungry and in need of protein. It seems we're going through that same pattern again," he said.

Hee said he would like to hire more wardens, but with the state budget deficit, his resources are limited. Instead, starting next month, Fish and Game will recruit volunteers, first in San Diego, then in Orange County and north to Ventura, to receive a crash course in coyote behavior--essentially Coyote 101. The volunteers will share what they learn with the public at town hall meetings, homeowners associations, community centers and even door to door.