Wildlife officials are on high alert, looking for a coyote who attacked a 3-year-old girl at the Irvine park last Friday. The little girl suffered a minor cut in the neck.
This is just the latest frightening encounter between wild animals and unsuspecting families.
The girl was walking with her mother and twin sister at the Orange Country park and suddenly a coyote charged at her from out of nowhere.
The attack was witnessed by a nearby resident, Ginna McKenna and ran to help and was able to shoo away the coyote.
"A little girl was screaming and the mother was screaming, so I came running out and there was a coyote in the park. I chased [the coyote] off," McKenna said. "They were scared."
The girl was then treated at a local hospital and released with only superficial wounds.
The neighbors have also reported encounters with the coyote. Emma Aguilar, 11, shared her experience with the wild animal.
"One started chasing me and my dad," she said on Saturday. "It was about five feet in front of us. It was growling. My dad got a rock and threw it at him, chased him away.
Another Irvine resident also recalled his encounter, "My 3 1/2 year-old son was riding his Big Wheel in Discovery Park," David Anderson said. "I looked back and there was a coyote about five feet from him on the sidewalk outside of the park. You could tell that the coyote wasn't scared of people."
Coyote sightings are common in Southern California, but officials say that close enounters are on the rise. Experts believe that one of the causes is the severe drought as the lack of water is sending the wild animals to look for it in human habitats.
Wildlife officials are warning the residents to ensure their garbage is sealed shut, to keep their pets indoors and remove food sources that could attract and tempt coyotes.
