Brittany Cardinal was flying a kite with her 4-year-old daughter Emily in her Surprise neighborhood when a coyote attacked them, she said.
Cardinal protected her daughter, shouting at the coyote and fighting it by putting it in a choke hold, she said. During the struggle the afternoon of Sept. 7, the canine bit her face.
But the pair was able to run home to safety.
“My instincts just kicked in,” said Cardinal. “We live near the desert and see coyotes all around. But usually, they are skittish and run away.”
She said her sister-in-law, who is a neighbor, called the Arizona Game and Fish Department who then came out and shot two coyotes in the area.
The state agency took the shirts Cardinal and her daughter wore during the attack to check if DNA on
them matched one of the coyotes killed, she said.
Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesperson Alex Flickinger said the state agency has officers in the Surprise neighborhood actively removing coyotes.
Coyotes are typically the size of German shepherd dogs.
Cardinal had to have surgery on her face, which she said is painful and swollen.
"I came home from the hospital Sunday night. I have a 7-month-old at home too," she said.
Coyotes are common in rural and suburban areas across Arizona and are usually timid and run away if challenged, the department said on its website.
But on rare occasions coyotes that are fed by people can bite, the Game and Fish Department said.
“My daughter is good. She’s resilient," Cardinal said. "I’m OK."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mother in Surprise fights off coyote, protects 4-year-old daughter
