Highlights
- Brittany Cardinal of Surprise sustained lacerations and puncture wounds to her face after a coyote attacked her 4-year-old daughter Sunday afternoon.
- Arizona Game and Fish officials say it is the first recorded coyote attack on a person in the Valley since December 2023.
- Officers have removed several coyotes from the area and are testing them for rabies; the reason for the attack remains unclear.
- Arizona Game and Fish advises fighting back, yelling, and throwing objects to repel coyotes, and says human-coyote encounters rise as temperatures cool.
A Surprise mother is recovering from lacerations and puncture wounds to her face after fighting off a coyote that attacked her 4-year-old daughter Sunday afternoon, in what Arizona Game and Fish officials say is the first recorded coyote attack on a person in the Valley since December 2023.
Brittany Cardinal told Arizona's Family the incident began during a kite-flying outing in her Surprise neighborhood. She heard her daughter scream, turned to find a coyote nipping at the child, and picked the girl up while yelling at the animal. When it refused to retreat, Cardinal removed her flip-flop and tried to drive it off. During the struggle she fell, and the coyote lunged and clamped onto her face. Cardinal said she felt pressure but no pain in the moment. She and her daughter eventually backed away and ran home.
ABC15 also reported the attack, corroborating the account.
Alex Flickinger, public affairs community liaison for Arizona Game and Fish, said the reason for the attack is unclear. Officers have removed several coyotes from the area and are testing them for rabies. Flickinger said Cardinal's response was textbook: fight back, yell, throw rocks or whatever is at hand to drive the animal off. Cardinal said she plans to carry pepper spray going forward.
Arizona Game and Fish notes that human-coyote encounters increase as temperatures cool. The agency advises keeping pet food, trash, and anything that smells like food secured, and making any coyote that enters a yard feel unwelcome through noise and assertive hazing.
Rabies test results from the removed coyotes are pending.
Sources
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- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 09/09/2026 04:24
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 09/09/2026 04:24. Every claim traces to a source.
