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Fish & Game Officials Investigating Reported Coyote Bite In Moraga

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California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are investigating a reported coyote encounter with a runner at the Campolindo High School track early Friday morning.

Moraga police were dispatched to the area at approximately 6:30 a.m. after a runner reported being approached and bitten by a coyote while at the track. The animal was chased away by another runner, according to police.

Investigators determined that a group of workout enthusiasts were stretching in preparation for a run when one of the men, who was in a push-up position, felt something grip his leg.

The Moraga man who suffered the bite struck the animal until it eventually let go. Another runner chased the animal off, investigators said. The injured man was treated for the bite and underwent a series of rabies shots but was listed in otherwise good condition Friday.

Moraga police officers reported seeing a coyote walking through the Rheem Center parking lot recently, a fairly common occurrence in the area, but were dismayed to see a person try to feed the animal near Starbucks.

While the animals are commonly seen in Lamorinda direct encounters and attacks on humans are rare. Fish and Wildlife officials are testing DNA samples taken from clothing worn during Friday’s incident with samples from an earlier incident in which a local child was reportedly nipped by a coyote earlier in the year.

18 COMMENTS

  1. Newsom will soon be banning running at the high school track (if he hasn’t already) so this shouldn’t be a problem from now on. The coyotes can have the land.

  2. I run in the area in the early mornings and have seen more and more Coyotes lately. They don’t seem interested in human interaction and give me a look and go about their way.

    • Hey, Brian, yep – we know quite a few ground-pounders who have run amongst the critters without incident. Sorry this happened and hoping the affected runner reaches out with more info on how it transpired. Bite or a nip? Come up from behind or circle? Other animals in the area? Hope he or she heals up, soon.

  3. This is the second attack on a person we have had this year. There is also a lot more predation on people’s pets, especially small dogs and cats.
    This might seem funny to some, but keep in mind that coyotes, like all canines and other mammals, can carry rabies.

    • Doesn’t seem at all funny… but as in all cases we’d hate to see a retaliative effort waged against the animal without more information… we are, after all, moving into their territory.

  4. I hope the man is ok and healing but I also hope we don’t start killing the animals. I think we may be contributing to the problem.

  5. We see them all the time. They usually look back once before running away. Stop feeding wild animals dumb people.

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