Minden woman attacked by coyote in driveway

From her front porch, Kerry Dinardo could hear coyotes howling in the open spaces adjacent her housing development in Minden. Her mom had seen a coyote wandering the streets several years ago, but until Saturday morning she didn't consider them anything more than a nuisance.

While working in her garage just before 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Dinardo heard a noise coming from outside of her garage door. She opened the door and approached the noise to find a scared, cornered coyote.

"I startled it as much as it startled me, I think, and it lunged at my stomach," Dinardo said.

Dinardo was bitten in the abdomen near her navel before defending herself and scaring the coyote away. After the attack, Dinardo was taken to Carson Valley Medical Center in Gardnerville for treatment. Because animal control officers were unable to locate the coyote, Dinardo must now undergo a series of painful rabies vaccinations.

"I had six shots in the wound, one in each cheek of my behind and one in the arm," she said. "I have to get five more over the next four weeks."

Jack Spencer, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said that while coyotes are always around, the risk of interactions and problems with humans is increased in mid- to late-January and again from April to early June.

"If anyone is going to get bitten or pets are going to be taken, it's this time of year or in April and May because that's when pups are born," Spencer said.

Spencer said that despite the fact that there are increased sightings of coyotes in the Carson Valley because of calving season, that was most likely not the cause of the attack.

"People do see them more often this time of year, but it's an urban issue. They are coming into the urban areas. It's not an agricultural issue," he said. "Any time you have coyotes living in urban areas in broad daylight, that means they are habituating to people."

Chris Healy, public-relations officer with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said coyotes adapt to their surroundings and are capable of reaching speeds of 40 mph and successfully jumping 8-foot-tall fences.

"They are very adaptive creatures. They are not like mountain lions, which still have a very real fear of man and are rarely seen," Healy said. "Coyotes are still afraid of us but not afraid to seek out food from us."

Spencer said that if a coyote is spotted in an urban area, it can usually be scared away with noise. But there are exceptions.

"Most of the time seeing a coyote is not a big issue, but if it shows signs of aggression, we need to be notified," Spencer said. "(Coyotes) cause a lot of problems for people, but we don't want them to hate them. They are the neatest creatures."

The incident has forced Dinardo to rethink the way she does some things.

"I never used to worry about walking my pets in that area, but I won't be walking my dog back there anytime soon, and especially not without a leash," she said.

-- Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.

When living near coyote habitat:

• Don't feed them, either deliberately or not. This includes making sure trash is secured and not leaving pet food out at night.

• Bring pets, especially small pets, inside at night.

• If you notice coyote activity, put a radio outside playing music to simulate human activity. Talk radio and rap music work best.

• Fill a can half-full of rocks to throw at coyotes, the noise scares them.