An Arizona mother sustained facial injuries after bravely confronting a coyote that attacked her four-year-old daughter. The incident occurred on Sunday, September 6, in Surprise, Arizona, when Brittany Cardinal and her daughter were outside flying kites.
Cardinal reported hearing a scream and turned to see a coyote nipping at her child. She immediately grabbed her daughter and began yelling at the animal. When the coyote did not retreat, Cardinal used a flip-flop to try and drive it away. The confrontation escalated, and Cardinal was knocked down, sustaining lacerations and puncture wounds to her face, including injuries around her mouth that required stitches.
Despite the attack, Cardinal stated she did not feel pain during the encounter, attributing her actions to maternal instinct. "I think you, like a mom, just try to protect your kid," she told AZFamily.
Alex Flickinger, a spokesperson for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, confirmed that Cardinal's response was consistent with official advice for encounters with aggressive coyotes, which recommends fighting back rather than fleeing. Authorities have since removed several coyotes from the area for testing and are advising residents to secure potential food attractants to deter wild animals from residential areas.