Coyote shot dead after 3 attack B.C. woman

A conservation officer has destroyed a coyote that he believes was one of three that attacked a woman and a dog in B.C.'sOkanaganregion this week.

The woman, Sarah James, was walking a friend's small Labrador Retriever on Wednesday on the Summerland Centennial Trail, a popularhiking trail in Summerland, when she was approached by threecoyotes.

The coyotes went after the dog, and James crouched over it to protect it from the attack.

As she shielded the dog with her body and one hand, she used her other hand to fend off the attack.One or more of the coyotes bit and scratched thehand she was using to swat them away.

Manfred Wobst, afriend of James,spoke with CBC News and relayed that she felt the attack lasted well overa minutebefore the coyotes let up and shewas able to get awaywith the dog.

Jim Beck, of theB.C. Conservation Officer Service, said amale coyote believed to have been involved in the attackwas shot and killed early Friday morning.

"It matches the descriptors of one of the coyotes, but it's very difficult to tell. She said there was one large and two smaller coyotes," Beck said.

Beck saidcoyote attacks like this one are rare.

In North America, there have only been two recent reported cases of coyotes attacking and killing humans.One involved a woman in Cape Bretonin 2009, and the other a child in California.

Coyote sightings reported to B.C.'s Conservation Officer Serviceare up this year, but reported encounters with other animals are down.

Between April and October of last year, there were approximately 700 calls about coyotes and 170 reported attacks on pets.

During the same time period this year, there were approximately 900 calls and 155 reports of attacks.