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Coyote attacks 2-year-old girl in Fountain Valley

A coyote walks past weeds and wildflowers
A 2-year-old girl was injured in a coyote attack this week in Fountain Valley, authorities said. Above, a file photo shows a coyote in Fairview Park in Costa Mesa.
(Mark Boster / For The Times)
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A lone coyote attacked a 2-year-old girl in a park in Fountain Valley this week, authorities said Thursday.

The attack occurred Tuesday night inside Mile Square Park near Euclid Street and Stonecress Avenue, the Fountain Valley Police Department said in a release. The child was treated at a hospital and is recovering from her wounds, said Cpt. Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s law enforcement division.

The incident wasn’t immediately reported, and the coyote has not been found or captured, Fountain Valley police said. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is leading a search to locate and euthanize the coyote.

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The attack is at least the second in recent months in Orange County. In April, a young girl was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a coyote attack on the beach near the Huntington Beach Pier.

If any coyotes are seen in the area, residents are encouraged to haze them and keep small children and pets under close supervision, Foy said.

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