Several people are coming forward claiming they've had run-ins with coyotes after an ABC15 report on aggressive coyote encounters in Tatum Ranch.
The most recent involves a mom who says her 3-year-old son was attacked and bitten by a coyote just before Christmas.
The encounter happened in a neighborhood near Tatum Boulevard and Cave Creek Road.
Caroline Goddard said she was outside in her front yard putting the finishing touches on her Christmas decorations when the attack happened.
"I bent over, turned my back to him, to turn on the lights, and in that time that I was plugging them in, I heard him scream!" Goddard said.
Goddard provided a picture of the back of her son's leg. It shows two marks, several inches long.
Goddard said she reported the incident to the Arizona Game and Fish Department; however, a spokesperson said they do not have a report for the bite.
Goddard also reported the bite to the Maricopa County Department of Health. A rabies expert recommended her son receive a series of Rabies shots, which her son is now undergoing.
"The fact that it's going after a human, that's not normal behavior," Goddard said.
Goddard said her neighbors are having similar coyote clashes.
Two days after that encounter, a woman and her two kids had a coyote encounter.
"I grabbed his scooter, up above my head, and I started yelling as loud as I could to be big and loud. It just stopped, and then started prancing right back towards us," said resident Jen Hanson.
Hanson said her two children ages 2 and 5 were with her on a walk Christmas Day. They were around the corner from their home when the coyote chased them.
"My little guy is only 2. He's very small," said Hanson. "I don't want him to come over and try to make off with my kids."
Some residents have banded together online and have created a map, showing the location of seven coyote encounters since Nov. 27.
The encounters are listed as aggression, stalking, chasing and a bite/attack.
Arizona Game and Fish said they do not have reports for any of the encounters, but they are looking into the claims.
