2 More Coyotes Snared; Dog Is Victim of Attack

Animal control officials trapped two more adult coyotes over the weekend near the Forster Ranch community, but at least one more pet in the area fell victim to a coyote attack Monday morning, officials said.

The two coyotes, which trappers described as “extremely aggressive,” were destroyed by lethal injections Monday and sent to the county health department for rabies tests, San Clemente Fire Department spokesman Jack Stubbs said.

Three coyotes--including the two trapped during the weekend--have been captured and killed since late May. The city had hired trappers from Chino-based Animal Pest Management Services in the wake of the May 16 attack on a 5-year-old girl in the Forster Ranch subdivision.

In recent weeks, coyotes have also been responsible for attacking and killing at least six cats and two dogs in the subdivision north of San Clemente near the county’s Prima Descheca Landfill, a favorite scavenging spot for coyotes and other animals.

The most recent coyote attack was reported Monday morning, when a resident told animal control officers that she saw a coyote running down the street with a dog in its mouth, Stubbs said. Until the attacks on domestic animals cease, the trappings will continue, he said.

“It’s a day-to-day thing,” he said. “As long as there’s enough garbage and domestic pets out there to keep them alive, they’ll go for that.”

The animals snared over the weekend weighed up to 35 pounds each and were described as being “extremely aggressive” by the trappers because of their violent behavior in the traps, Stubbs said.

Traps have been scattered throughout the hills behind the Forster Ranch development, Stubbs said.

Flyers warn area residents not to disturb the traps, to keep children out of greenbelt areas, pets indoors at night and garbage cans sealed.