Coyotes

The coyote perched atop the cinder-block wall 25 feet across the lawn from Candy Julian's screen door, dangling its paws and eyeing her family's two miniature schnauzers. "We started screaming. My son grabbed a shovel," the 45-year-old fitness instructor said of her run-in with a coyote one evening late last month in her Yorba Linda backyard. "I was screaming 'The dogs! The dogs!' " Her family chased off the coyote. But some neighbors haven't been so lucky, losing cats and small dogs and fearing for their children's safety.

A man reported being attacked by a coyote in Griffith Park last week, wildlife officials said. The man, who was lying down near the Travel Town area Wednesday night, reported waking up to find a coyote biting his foot, but he was not seriously injured, said Kevin Brennan, a wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game. The attack was the second reported in less than a month in the 4,210-acre, chaparral-covered park. Wildlife authorities learned from Los Angeles County health officials last week that another person had been bitten in the park in late August.

The howls that echoed through Griffith Park on Monday were coming from hikers, parents and nannies -- not coyotes. Park visitors were furious with a decision to shoot coyotes in the 4,210-acre park following an encounter between a man and a coyote last week. Eight animals were killed before the eradication effort ended at 10:50 p.m. Friday, said Kyle Orr, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. Park visitors blasted the hunt as overkill. They blamed the problem on people who illegally feed coyotes.

The Kings approached this season with hope, stability and a lineup that oozes promise at every position. The Phoenix Coyotes approached this season with Coach Dave Tippett in place for only a week, no clue about where they'll play next season and a hodgepodge lineup sprinkled with untried kids and retreads. The clueless team Saturday was the Kings, whose defense collapsed in a 6-3 season-opening loss before a stunned sellout crowd at Staples Center. "This is definitely not the start we wanted," Anze Kopitar said.

Ducks tonight AT PHOENIX When: 6. Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Ariz. On the air: TV: Channel 56; Radio: 830. Records: Ducks 4-6-1, Coyotes 8-4-0. Record vs. Coyotes (2008-09): 4-1-1. Update: The road might look good after the Ducks' disappointing six-game homestand, but the trip is only one game. Ducks winger Evgeny Artyukhin is eligible to return tonight after serving a three-game suspension for a slew-footing incident against Dallas.

VS. PHOENIX When: 6 PST. Where: Jobing.com Arena. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 8-4-2, Coyotes 9-4-0. Record vs. Coyotes: 1-1. Update: The Kings have lost their last two games in shootouts but have earned standings points in six straight games (4-0-2). Goaltender Jonathan Quick will start his ninth straight game, a streak that's likely to continue until the team's five-game trip this month. Right wing Justin Williams is scheduled to return after missing five games because of a lower-body injury.

Re "Tracking the city coyote," Column One, Jan. 27 So coyote trapper Jimmie Rizzo and company want to drive home the lesson that the coyotes "are not wanted here" in Southern California. My wife and I aren't arrogant or dumb enough not to safeguard our animals in an area rife with native predators. Sadly, few realize or care that coyotes and other indigenous wildlife don't invade our property; we invade theirs. Which species is truly unwanted? Richard Mandl Canoga Park