It has become increasingly dangerous to bring your (smaller) dogs to Crissy Field, and if you let your dog off-leash there or elsewhere near the Presidio, it could prove deadly.
Dog owners in SF should be on high alert as the wild coyote population in the city seems to have grown and become more bold around people. As KRON4 reports, three dogs have been killed by coyotes so far this September at Crissy Field, and one dog owner says she was "nearly attacked" by a coyote as she protected her dog.
"All of a sudden they are being really really bold, and they are too comfortable with people because people have been feeding them," says Martha Walters, chair of the Crissy Field Dog Group, speaking to KRON4. She adds that both Baker Beach and Crissy Field have become "hunting grounds" for the coyotes in search of smaller prey.
And we should clarify that while coyotes do typically go after smaller breeds, they have been known to attack larger dogs, especially when they are hunting in a pack.
In early August, five coyotes worked as a pack to attack and kill a smaller dog at Baker Beach. And also in August, a coyote attack on a dog was reported in the Presidio Tunnel Tops park.
Walters's group is asking the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and the Presidio Trust to establish a real-time database of coyote encounters, so that dog owners can stay informed when coming to the area. The Crissy Field Dog Group has now filed a Freedom of Information Act request in order to get this data.
"My biggest fear is some little kids getting attacked. Nobody wants that. So I just think it's imperative," Walters tells KRON4.
Coyote attacks on humans and children are very rare, however there was a recent, aggressive attack on a child in Golden Gate Park. A five-year-old girl who was with a group of children in the SF Botanical Garden was attacked and nipped in the butt by a coyote in June — an incident that led to three coyotes in the park being euthanized.
And there was a similar incident in which a coyote appeared to be stalking toddlers in the Botanical Garden in June 2021.
The GGNRA has posted signs around Crissy Field warning dog owners not to let their dogs off-leash, and park officials say they will be taking measures to scare coyotes out of the area in the coming days.
Still, as SFGate reports, some dog owners are outfitting their dogs with spiked vests to protect them from being snatched by a coyote.
In addition to coyote encounters in Golden Gate Park, in the Presidio, near Stern Grove and at the beaches, coyotes have also been seen in and around Alamo Square Park, which also has a popular off-leash dog park.
Previously: Five Coyotes Ganged Up and Killed a Small Dog at Baker Beach Thursday Morning
Photo: Hannah May
