INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
A search is on for one or more coyotes that have bitten three people since Saturday.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department announced Monday that wildlife officers are conducting the search just east of Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in Phoenix.
Game and Fish officers removed one coyote Sunday evening and are continuing to search the area.
The department reported:
- A 4-year-old was bitten Saturday on the lower leg while walking with family members.
- Also on Saturday, a man who was jogging in the same area was bitten.
- On Monday, man was bitten on the heel south of Happy Valley Road near I-17.
All three received medical treatment and rabies shots, state officials said.
Officers are posting notices throughout the area, letting people know about issue. “The public is advised to be aware of their surroundings and keep wildlife at a distance,” a release from Arizona Game and Fish stated.
There have been 28 coyote attacks on people in the Phoenix metro area in the past 26 years, authorities said.
To report any new coyote sightings in the area bordered by I-17 east to 19th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road north to Jomax Road, call the Arizona Game and Fish Department at 623-236-7201. In an emergency, call 911.
For information: https://www.azgfd.com/wildlife-conservation/living-with-wildlife/living-with-coyotes/.
We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.