Coyotes bite 2-year-old girl, grandmother near Lake Las Vegas

Coyotes have bitten two people in the Lake Las Vegas area since November — a direct result of people feeding them when they were not supposed to, according to two incident reports obtained from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The first victim was a woman in her 70s who was sitting on a bench at Lake Las Vegas with her granddaughter when she felt a tug on her buttocks, a report from Nov. 7 said. A coyote had bitten her, and she left to go get the first of four rabies vaccines at a local hospital.

In a later incident at the Seasons Grocery Store in Lake Las Vegas, a coyote bit a 2-year-old girl’s leg and tried to drag her away, according to a report from Jan. 9.

An officer who responded to the scene shot two coyotes south of the nearby Hilton parking lot. The coyotes were circling a pile of baked goods. The girl was transported to the hospital for her first rabies shot and a round of antibiotics.

Officials said no bites have reported since then, and the Nevada Department of Wildlife told the Las Vegas Review-Journal it euthanized about 10 coyotes in the area that had seemed to grow aggressive around humans.

No more bites expected

There shouldn’t be any cause for alarm in the Lake Las Vegas area going forward, but the incidents serve as a reminder that it’s against the law to feed coyotes because doing so can cause them to attack, spokesperson Doug Nielsen said.

Coyotes are native to the Mojave Desert, he said, and the alterations that humans make to their habitat, like landscaping and installing swimming pools, are attractive to them.

“Generally, coyotes don’t want anything to do with us,” Nielsen said. “In this situation, the animal that can change is us — we have the ability to reason and make choices.”

Throughout the Lake Las Vegas community, property managers have hung signs reminding residents of the dangers of feeding coyotes, said Cody Winterton, division president of developer Raintree.

There’s been a lot of interest in keeping the community safe after residents learned of the attacks, and an unfounded rumor about a football player getting bit ahead of the Super Bowl gained traction, he said.

Winterton said he recommends that leaders of neighborhoods experiencing similar issues contact the Nevada Department of Wildlife, which educates state residents on safety through its Living With Wildlife program. Officials responded to the situation swiftly, he said, and they have everything under control.

“Coyotes are very smart, and there are natural ways they can take care of themselves,” Winterton said. “It’s in the best interest of the coyotes to just let them be and live off the land.”

Contact Alan at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.