Video of coyote sneaking into home reignites concerns in San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley has long been a hotspot for coyotes, evidenced by a string of incidents in late-2022 that saw multiple animals — and even a toddler — attacked. A series of recent sightings, highlighted by a coyote that made its way into a Woodland Hills home, has concerns heightened once again.
Just Friday evening, people walking through a Panorama City park came face-to-face with at least three of the wild dogs, one of which they say came dangerously close to attacking a pedestrian.
The sighting comes just about 24 hours after a coyote made its way into a Woodland Hills home via doggy door. The wild home surveillance footage, which was captured at about 4 a.m., shows the coyote eyeballing the family cat before it gets spooked by a family member and flees from the home.
Related: Coyotes kill three small dogs over weekend in San Fernando Valley
While no one in the family, nor any of the pets, were harmed in the incident, the brazenness of the creature brings back memories from last December, when a two-year-old girl was attacked and dragged by a coyote in broad daylight.
Today, she's doing well and recovered from the terrifying incident, but her mother says that it was "a rough few months" for the family.
"We are always on the lookout now," said Shira Eliyaheo, the girl's mother. "It was like life-changing for us."
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife was able to track that specific coyote down and euthanize it, but some experts say that won't actually fix the ever constant issue.
"You can never eradicate coyotes," said Rebecca Dmytryk, who works with Humane Wildlife Control. "But, if you stabilize them and live with them and allow them to have stable packs or families, they are going to keep all of the other coyotes out."
She also said that coyotes tend to mirror human behavior, so if they're spotted in your neighborhood, there's likely a reason. She recommends locking doggy/cat doors, keeping trashcans covered, picking up any dog food or bird seed and keeping pets indoors as often as possible.
Experts recommend a series of steps in the instance you do come across a coyote, including throwing items, shouting or acting aggressive.
