Coyotes pose a risk to human life, as confirmed by documented cases, but a fatal attack is an extremely rare event. The species generally exhibits a deep-seated wariness of humans, and their instinct is to avoid direct conflict. This avoidance mechanism is the primary reason why encounters rarely escalate beyond a simple sighting, maintaining a safe distance between the species.
Documented Incidents and Risk Assessment
The historical record confirms two instances of coyotes causing a human fatality in North America. The first recorded case occurred in 1981 in Glendale, California, when a three-year-old girl was attacked and killed near her home. The only confirmed adult fatality took place in 2009, involving a 19-year-old woman attacked by a pack of coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Canada.
In the context of overall animal-related injuries, this risk is minimal. Between 1977 and 2015, researchers documented 367 coyote attacks on humans across the United States and Canada, with most resulting in minor injuries. This number is dwarfed by the danger posed by domestic animals, as millions of children are bitten by dogs annually, making a child far more likely to be injured by a family pet.
The risk of a person being struck by lightning in Canada is approximately 60 times higher than being bitten or scratched by a coyote. Coyotes are responsible for a small percentage of large carnivore attacks on people, and the vast majority of these incidents are non-fatal. Children, particularly toddlers, face a greater risk of serious injury during an attack, but adults make up the majority of overall bite victims.
Behavioral Factors Triggering Attacks
The majority of rare coyote attacks are rooted in the breakdown of their natural fear, a process called habituation, which is almost always linked to human behavior. This habituation occurs when coyotes become accustomed to human presence and no longer perceive people as a threat. It is often coupled with food conditioning, which results from the intentional or unintentional feeding of the animals.
Unsecured food sources, such as pet food left outside, accessible garbage, and fallen fruit, train coyotes to associate human-occupied spaces with easy meals. This conditioning can lead to “demand behavior,” where a coyote expecting food may approach a person and attempt to latch onto clothing or limbs, which is frequently mistaken for aggression. The presence of food attractants encourages coyotes to be bolder in residential areas, increasing the opportunity for conflict.
A different category of attack is predatory behavior, which occasionally targets small children who may be perceived as a smaller, vulnerable prey item. This type of incident is most common during the breeding and pup-rearing season, generally spanning from March through August, when adults have increased food demands to provision their young. Less common triggers include coyotes defending a den site or pups, or the animal being severely ill, such as with rabies, which can cause unpredictable behavior.
In rare cases, such as the 2009 fatality in Canada, researchers found the coyotes had developed an unusual dietary specialization on large prey, such as moose. This ecological shift may have contributed to their aggression toward a human adult and demonstrates how environmental circumstances can compound risk factors in a specific region.
Strategies for Prevention and Deterrence
Human action is the most effective tool for preventing coyote conflicts by maintaining the animal’s natural avoidance of people. The practice of “hazing” is a direct method used to reinforce the coyote’s innate fear response. Hazing involves making oneself appear large and loud, such as yelling, waving arms, and making direct eye contact.
Use noisemakers or throw small objects toward the coyote to startle it, but never run away from the animal. The goal is to make the experience consistently unpleasant, continuing to haze the coyote until it leaves the area completely. A variety of hazing techniques should be used so the animals do not become accustomed to a single stimulus.
Securing all potential food attractants is equally effective in preventing habituation. This means never leaving pet food or water bowls outside, ensuring trash cans are sealed with tight-fitting lids, and removing bird feeders that attract rodents, a primary coyote food source. Small pets should always be supervised, especially at dawn and dusk, and kept on a short leash when outside.