SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. β Arizona Game & Fish is searching for a coyote in Scottsdale and asking the public for help spotting the animal after it went after two children.
"AZGFD Mesa is looking for a large, healthy coyote that has injured two toddlers in Scottsdale," the agency said in a tweet.
Anyone who sees a coyote in the area of 94th Street and Thompson Peak Parkway, along the Central Arizona canal to Cactus Road, should report the sighting as soon as possible, the agency said.
"The coyote shows little fear of people and may have been illegally fed in the past," said AZGFD.
On March 18, a toddler was scratched by a coyote at Aztec Park near Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Thunderbird Road. The boy is undergoing rabies treatment.
On March 22, another toddler was attacked by a coyote. The second attack happened within two-mile area of the first, near Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.
Both of the children are expected to be okay.
When he was interview last week, Darren Julian, an urban wildlife specialist with AZGFD, said this type of behavior for coyotes is "very unusual."
"A normal coyote, when they hear us, see us, smell us, they are hiding away or running away," said Julian.
AZGFD urged parents to keep children indoors and be vigilant until the coyote can be removed.
Anyone who see a coyote should call AZGFD at 623-236-7201.
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