Coyote attacks 2-year-old in Southern California cemetery

CYPRESS, Calif. A 2-year-old girl is recovering after she was bitten and dragged by a coyote at a Southern California cemetery.

The Orange County Register reports Klarissa Barrera, of Long Beach, was given a rabies shot and treated for a 2 1/2-inch gash on her calf.

She was attacked 10 feet from her mother Thursday as the family visited a relative's grave at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress.

Michelle Luper says the coyote bit her daughter on the back and dragged her toward some bushes. Luper says she screamed and lunged, and the coyote let go.

State wildfire officials later shot and killed three coyotes at the cemetery.

Experts say coyote attacks on people are rare and this was the first reported in Orange County this year.

In May, pet owners in several neighborhoods around Long Beach, Calif., were on alert after a string of coyote attacks, reports CBS affiliate KCBS in Los Angeles.

Nearly a dozen cats were killed in a month in and around the city.

Police said the attacks usually occurred well after midnight -- sometimes as late as 4 a.m. -- and usually target pet cats.