Children and Coyotes: A Safety Guide

This is general information, not veterinary, medical or legal advice. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

Reviewed by the editorial desk against the cited sources. The desk holds no wildlife-biology, veterinary or medical credential.

Coyotes are common in Arizona neighborhoods, and parents reasonably ask how worried to be. This guide belongs to our cluster on protecting pets and children from coyotes and pairs with our guide to what to do during a sighting. The short version from AZGFD: bites are rare, small children can be at risk, and the main things you control are supervision and food.

How risky are coyotes for children?

AZGFD says coyotes are usually timid animals that run away if challenged, and that human-fed coyotes have, on rare occasions, bitten people. AZGFD’s April 2023 release adds a count: there were 24 coyote attacks on people in the Phoenix metro area over the previous 26 years, including two attacks on Scottsdale toddlers with minor injuries. It is a metro-Phoenix count as of 2023, not a statewide or current figure. AZGFD also says that acting aggressively toward coyotes during encounters helps re-instill a fear of humans.

That does not make the risk zero. AZGFD says small children can be at risk, and that coyotes mate January to March and raise pups in a den March to May, a time when pup-protecting adults may be more defensive. (The AZGFD page gives the dates; the point about defensiveness is our own caution, so keep your distance from any den and call.) We have no newer count from an agency page we opened, and we do not guess one.

The UC IPM Pest Notes on coyotes, a California publication from 2007, say some coyotes in some localities have become increasingly aggressive toward people and have attacked children or adults. UC ANR’s coyote guidance for urban residents also tells people to be vigilant with small children where coyotes are often seen or heard. We cite California sources only for general behavior, not for Arizona statistics.

Supervision: where it matters most

AZGFD does not give an age-specific supervision rule on its current Living with Coyotes page, so we give none. Its advice is to keep small pets and children close if a coyote appears. Our own practical readings follow, and they are not AZGFD’s words.

A few practical readings of that advice, in our words and not AZGFD’s:

• Stay within arm’s reach of toddlers outside, especially at dusk and dawn if coyotes have been seen. UC ANR’s Coyote Cacher page says coyotes are most active from dusk to dawn but can also be active during the day.
• Walk the yard and play area first when you know coyotes have been around.
• Do not leave young children outside alone to play with the family dog. A dog can attract coyotes.

Heed any local signage or neighborhood notices about active coyotes, as UC ANR advises.

Make the yard less attractive first

The most reliable step is removing what draws coyotes. AZGFD says that if there is a regular coyote food source in one yard on your block, coyotes will be active throughout the neighborhood, and that all potential food sources must be removed to keep coyotes from becoming dangerously comfortable around humans. Its list includes:

• Do not feed wildlife. Feeding wildlife (other than birds and tree squirrels) is unlawful in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties under Arizona Revised Statutes 13-2927, according to AZGFD; some cities and counties have their own ordinances too. Checked on 2026-11-14; confirm with AZGFD.
• Store garbage inside or in wildlife-proof containers, and put containers out at the last possible time on pickup day.
• Feed pets inside or remove uneaten pet food between feedings.
• Trim plants and bushes around the house to prevent hiding or resting places, and install outdoor lighting.

Our guides to removing food and water attractants, the coyote-proof yard checklist and coyote fencing for Arizona yards go further.

If a coyote approaches while children are with you

AZGFD’s list of what to do when a coyote approaches includes two child-specific points: pick up small pets, and protect small children so they will not panic and run. AZGFD also says never approach a coyote, keep eye contact, and do not run, because running can stimulate a coyote’s chase instinct.

In practice:

1. Keep children close. Stand between the coyote and a small child if you can do so safely, and hold small children rather than letting them run.
2. Make yourself look large and be loud. AZGFD says to yell or make loud noises with whistles, music or pots and pans, and to use aggressive gestures with your arms and legs or by waving an object.
3. Move toward an area with other people or a building, as AZGFD advises.
4. If a coyote does not leave, or if anyone’s safety is under immediate threat, call AZGFD or 911 as appropriate.

Hazing is an adult task. Do not ask a child to do it. And never haze a coyote that looks sick, is cornered, is near a den or seems to be protecting pups. Keep your distance and call. Our page on hazing techniques explains the agency methods and their limits.

Work with your neighbors

AZGFD’s Living with Coyotes page says a unified neighborhood effort is crucial to keep coyotes away from your home and yard, and that a coyote food source in one yard affects the whole block. It also says an indifferent attitude toward a coyote in your yard has the same effect as feeding it, so residents should make the animal aware it is not welcome. For families, that means talking with neighbors about pet food left out, unsecured trash and fallen fruit, and agreeing that nobody feeds coyotes. If a neighbor is feeding wildlife, share AZGFD’s guidance and contact AZGFD with questions about the rule. The feeding law is explained in our page on food and water attractants.

Teaching children

The agency pages we opened are written for adults and do not give a child’s script, so the points below are our reading of the general advice, not a quote.

• Never touch, feed or approach a wild animal, including one that looks tame or hurt. CDC says to keep your distance from wildlife, especially animals that appear injured, sick or dead, or that are out during the day when they are normally nocturnal.
• Tell a grown-up right away if you see a coyote.
• If a coyote is nearby and a grown-up is with you, stay close and do not run.

If a coyote bites or scratches a child

Get medical help right away. CDC says to wash wounds right away with soap and water for 15 minutes, contact your health department, and tell the healthcare provider what type of animal was involved and whether it seemed to be acting abnormally. The Arizona Department of Health Services says to report the bite to your local health department, visit your doctor and discuss anti-rabies treatment, and notify local animal control.

AZDHS reports 12 coyotes confirmed with rabies in Arizona from 2006 to 2017 (see our rabies and coyotes page). Even so, treat any bite or scratch as a reason to call a doctor. After a bite, call 911 if the animal is still approaching and get medical care right away, as AZGFD advises. If your child was hurt, also report the encounter to AZGFD: see report a coyote encounter and our local authorities page. AZGFD’s 24-hour Communications Center for wildlife acting aggressively toward people is 623-236-7201.

Warning signs to report

The UC IPM Pest Notes list a sequence of increasingly aggressive behaviors seen in California: more coyotes on streets and in yards at night; coyotes approaching adults or taking pets at night; coyotes on streets, in parks and yards in early morning or late afternoon; coyotes chasing or taking pets in daytime; coyotes attacking pets on leash or near owners and chasing joggers or cyclists; coyotes seen in and around children’s play areas, school grounds and parks in midday; and coyotes acting aggressively toward adults in daytime. It is a California document from 2007, but the escalation pattern is a useful signal. Report bold behavior to AZGFD early, especially near schools, playgrounds and parks.

What we could not source

We could not find, in an agency page we opened, a current Arizona-wide count of coyote bites on children, an age-specific hazing script for children, or a legal requirement for school or park signage. We leave those out rather than guess. Last checked against the cited sources on 2026-11-14. See our editorial policy and our printable coyote safety flier.