Kelly Keen coyote attack

The Kelly Keen coyote attack is the only known fatal coyote attack on a child as well as the only known fatal coyote attack on a human in the United States. On August 26, 1981, three-year-old Kelly Lynn Keen was dragged off her property and fatally wounded before being rescued by her father. The event is also notable for its aftermath, in which large numbers of coyotes were killed and two animal rights activists provoked an uproar by claiming that her parents, not the coyote, had killed her.

The attack

On August 26, 1981,[1] three-year-old girl Kelly Keen was left by her mother, Cathy to do some daily chores. Kelly was watching children's television programs in the living room of the family's home in the Chevy Chase Canyon Neighborhood[2] of Glendale, California, but she let herself out the front door and stepped into the driveway encountering a coyote. The coyote took Kelly in its mouth and ran off, dragging her through the street. Her father, Robert, came running quickly, chased the coyote off, and rushed Kelly to the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where she was in surgery for four hours before she died.[3][4] The cause of death was a broken neck and blood loss as a direct result of the coyote attack.[5]

The aftermath

Government reaction

Following Keen's death, the Glendale Commissioner’s personnel developed the first serious urban coyote management program, including 80 days of leghold trapping and shooting within a 0.5-mile (0.8-km) radius of the attack site, during which county personnel trapped and shot 55 coyotes.[3]

Accusations by animal rights activists

In 2004, animal rights activist and former child star Pamelyn Ferdin attended a Glendale City Council meeting to oppose a proposal to cull urban coyotes. Ferdin addressed the Council wearing a shirt covered in fake blood, urging the city not to cull coyotes. She mentioned the Kelly Keen attack, and argued that rather than having been killed by a coyote, Keen had been the victim of child abuse. She claimed that medical records indicated that the child died of a ruptured spleen, which could only have come from blunt trauma, not an animal bite. Fellow animal rights activist Michael Bell went further, claiming that, after digging around in hospital records, he discovered discrepancies and missing documents. He stated that the coyote story was a cover-up for how the child really died. Kelly's parents, Robert and Cathy Keen, watched the meeting live on cable and, upon hearing Bell's statement, raced to the Glendale City hall to respond to the allegations. They recounted the event to the council, and showed the death certificate, which listed the cause of the child’s injuries as "mauled by a coyote".[3][4]

Ferdin's stance remained unchanged; "I stand by my beliefs that a coyote did not kill (Kelly Keen)." Councilman Frank Quintero stated: "What the activists said at the dais was cruel and absolutely uninformed ... Knowing the mother, it broke my heart that they would do that to her. When they were making the accusations, I was considering stopping them."[4]

Similar attacks

An urban coyote approaches a child in a school yard in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia

USDA and California State University researchers have confirmed at least thirty-five incidents in the state in which “the possibility of serious or fatal injury seems likely if the child had not been rescued” from coyotes, including the following sample of confirmed coyote attacks on children in California that were likely to have ended similarly if the child had not been saved in time:

Other reports of non-fatal coyote attacks on children in California:

Coyote attack on teenagers in California:

See also

References

  1. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=85439123
  2. http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Chevy-Chase-Canyon-Glendale-CA.html
  3. 1 2 3 A History of Urban Coyote Problems, Robert M. Tim & Rex O. Baker, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2007
  4. 1 2 3 Life & Times Transcript, 05/06/04 Archived March 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. The Urban Coyote Problem in Los Angeles County, Robert G. Howell Deputy Agricultural Commissioner, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 1982>
  6. Timm, Robert M.; Baker, Rex O.; Bennett, Joe R.; Coolahan, Craig C. (2004-03-03). "Coyote Attacks: An Increasing Suburban Problem". Hopland Research and Extension Center. pp. 47–49. Retrieved 2012-06-25. From the information gathered, we now list 89 coyote attacks in California (incidents when one or more coyotes made physical contact with a child or adult, or attacked a pet while in close proximity to its owner; Table 1). In 56 of these attacks, one or more persons suffered an injury. In 77 additional encounters (not listed), coyotes stalked children, chased individuals, or aggressively threatened adults. In 35 incidents (not all listed), where coyotes stalked or attacked small children, the possibility of serious or fatal injury seems likely if the child had not been rescued.
  7. http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/coyote-attacks-12-year-old-spring-valley
  8. Venegas, Ana (22 July 2013). "2-year-old recovering from coyote attack at Cypress cemetery". ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  9. Foxhall, Emily (23 July 2013). "2-year-old girl in 'good spirits' after coyote attack at O.C.". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Newspaper Websites. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  10. City News Service. "Woman sues Forest Lawn after coyote attack while visiting her mother's grave". LA Daily News. Retrieved 27 October 2013. According to the suit, it happened because of insufficient gating and the lack of other preventive measures by cemetery officials. The park also allegedly failed to warn visitors of the risk of being in a cemetery where the wild animals freely roamed, the suit states. Teroganesian suffered 'various severe and permanent injuries' because of the incident, according to the complaint.
  11. Cheng, Kimberly (November 21, 2014). "Woman Claims 4-Year-Old Daughter Was Attacked by Coyote Outside Hollywood Home". ktla.com. Tribune. Retrieved 1 December 2014. The Department of Fish and Wildlife were investigating an alleged coyote attack involving a 4-year-old girl in Hollywood. The incident reportedly occurred Sunday morning in the Hollywood Dell area.
  12. "Fremont Police Kill Coyote After It Attacked Residents On Christmas Afternoon". CBS SF Bay Area. CBS. December 26, 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  13. Bender, Kristen J. (Dec 30, 2014). "California Coyote That Bit Man, Child Not Rabid". abcnews.go.com. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved 3 January 2015. A state Department of Public Health tested its brain tissues and determined it did not have rabies...
  14. Cheng, Kimberly (January 14, 2015). "Woman Claims Coyote Tried to Grab Baby From Her Arms in Ladera Ranch /". KTLA Channel 5. ABC News. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  15. Powell, Amy; MacBride, Melissa (May 23, 2015). "3-YEAR-OLD GIRL BITTEN BY COYOTE IN IRVINE". abc7.com. ABC Inc., KABC-TV Los Angeles. Retrieved 10 October 2015. A 3-year-old girl playing with her sister and mother was attacked from behind by a coyote Friday at a park in Irvine. The girl was bitten in the neck shortly before 6 p.m. at Silverado Park at Silverado and Equinox. Ginna McKenna heard screams and ran over to help. 'I ran across the park,' McKenna said. 'They said that the coyote charged the little girl. They were two twins and they were playing and supposedly it went after one girl.' The girl was taken to a hospital and was released hours later with minor cut in the neck. California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials responded, but the coyote took off and remained at large. They recommend removing pet food and water from reach. 'When you remove the attractants, they have to move on back to their natural habitat to survive,' Lt. Kent Smirl said. 'So it′s a matter of education. It takes persistence, consistency and patience.'
  16. Schwebke, Scott (May 25, 2015). "Neighborhood on edge after coyote attacks girl in Irvine park". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  17. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Irvine-Family-Injured-in-Coyote-Attack-333156711.html
  18. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/coyote-731966-boy-hughan.html
  19. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/08/09/4-coyotes-euthanized-after-spate-of-attacks-at-montebello-park/
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