A home security video shows a coyote attacking a little girl and trying to take her away. The girl screamed as soon as she was attacked, and her father, who was standing on the other side of his car and did not see the attack, heard her screams and immediately rushed to his daughter. The attack by the varmint occurred in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.
Police are searching for the animal, to ensure that it does not attack any infants again. According to Captain Patrick Foy, and reported by ABC,
They are trying to identify the location on the child's clothing where the animal's teeth went through the clothing. And if they can identify that spot sucessfully, they can try to extract DNA from the microscopic traces of saliva left behind by the attacking animal.
The girl was not seriously injured and is recovering at home.
Coyotes have become a problem for the community. They have become accustomed to human presence. They come to the suburbs because several neighbors leave food outside their homes, either because they like the presence of wild animals or because they want to leave some food accessible to their pets. Another video shows a coyote sneaking into a neighbor's home:
But there has been a number of other previous incidents of coyote attacks in the area, according to ABC.
