Arizona mother defends daughter from coyote attack

In Surprise, Arizona, a mother named Brittany Cardinal defended her four-year-old daughter from a coyote attack on September 6. While the pair was flying a kite, a coyote attacked the child, prompting Cardinal to use a flip-flop to fight the animal off.

During the struggle, Cardinal fell to the ground and sustained facial lacerations and puncture wounds after the coyote clamped its jaws onto her face. Despite her injuries, she managed to protect her daughter, who remained uninjured, and they were able to retreat to their home.

Arizona Game and Fish officials stated this is the first recorded coyote attack on a person in the Phoenix area since December 2023. Wildlife officers have since removed several coyotes from the neighborhood and are testing them for rabies to determine the cause of the aggression.