Two Toddlers Injured By Coyote In Separate Arlington Attacks

ARLINGTON (CBS) – Two young girls were injured Sunday during separate coyote attacks in Arlington.

Around 5:40 p.m., a 2-year-old girl was in her yard on Epping Street when a coyote bit her back and dragged the girl.

About 10 minutes later, Arlington Police received a second call that a coyote had scratched a 2-year-old girl who was in her yard on Summer Hill Circle.

Both children were taken to an area hospital for evaluation, but both are expected to be OK. Officials believe the same coyote attacked both children.

"I'd like to think that they're connected in some way," said Mike Huguenin of Mass. Wildlife. "It is rare. It'd be odd to have multiple coyotes behaving the same way in the same neighborhood."

They searched the area hoping to find the animal but have not yet located it.

"I heard a child screaming and I saw the coyote come over. It went away, but then backed up and it came back to the stairs and I could see from my bedroom a grey, big coyote. It seemed like it wasn't afraid," a neighbor said.

Hairing Huang lives in the neighborhood as well. He said after hearing about the attacks, he will have to keep a closer eye on his own yard.

"It's very scary. Honestly, initially we saw the coyote walking down the street we thought it was a cute animal. It didn't appear aggressive at the time. But this is just horrible," Huang said. "I just have to watch the kids more closely."

Mass. Wildlife officials don't think the coyote is rabid.

"It's habituated, somebody might be feeding it, or it's inadvertently getting easy food sources, and it's associating it with people and then they become more aggressive," Huguenin said.

Earlier this summer, a 5-year-old boy was attacked by a coyote while he was playing in a backyard sandbox.