SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wildlife officers shot and killed three coyotes at the San Francisco Botanical Garden over the weekend after a coyote attacked a 5-year-old girl, authorities said Monday.
Two coyotes were shot on Saturday and one was shot on Sunday, said Patrick Foy, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A coyote bit the 5-year-old on Friday while the girl was playing during a supervised summer camp visit at the garden within Golden Gate Park. The girl was treated for the bite wound at a hospital, her mother, Helen Sparrow, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“If a coyote or bear or mountain lion attacks a person, those animals are euthanized, and we conduct a rabies test on them post-mortem and take DNA samples,” Foy said Monday morning.
Officers were able to retrieve a DNA sample from the girl’s wound. Scientists on Monday were attempting to use that sample to identify which coyote attacked her. If none of the samples match, agents may need to trap or kill other coyotes in the park, Foy said.
The garden reopened Monday after being closed following the attack.
Sparrow told the Chronicle that her daughter had begun to run but tripped and the coyote “bit her on the bum when she was down.”
Doctors stitched up the bite wound and administered a rabies vaccine, though they told Sparrow that coyotes rarely test positive for rabies, the Chronicle reported.
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Rephrased content:
San Francisco officials reported that over the weekend, wildlife officers had to fatally shoot three coyotes at the San Francisco Botanical Garden after an incident where a 5-year-old girl was attacked by one of the animals. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson, Patrick Foy, confirmed that two coyotes were shot on Saturday while one was shot on Sunday. The attack occurred on Friday when the young girl was visiting the garden as part of a supervised summer camp outing within Golden Gate Park. The child was taken to a hospital for treatment of the bite, as reported by her mother, Helen Sparrow, to the San Francisco Chronicle.
According to Foy, in cases where a wild animal like a coyote, bear, or mountain lion attacks a person, the animal is euthanized, and post-mortem rabies testing and DNA sampling are conducted. A DNA sample was successfully retrieved from the girl’s wound, and scientists were working on Monday to determine which coyote was responsible for the attack using that sample. If no match is found, authorities may need to resort to trapping or taking action against other coyotes in the area, Foy mentioned.
After the incident, the botanical garden was temporarily closed but reopened on Monday. Sparrow recounted to the Chronicle that her daughter had attempted to run but fell, and the coyote bit her when she was on the ground. The young girl received stitches for the bite and was given a rabies vaccine, although doctors informed Sparrow that coyotes seldom test positive for rabies.
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