Residents are on their toes in Irvine, which experts say is a hot spot for coyotes.

Recently, a 6-year-old boy was attacked by a coyote while playing at a park in the Woodbridge neighborhood, but it’s hardly an isolated case. Conversations on Nextdoor and Facebook are full of accounts of coyote attacks on small pets and residents being stalked by them.

Some residents are now carrying golf clubs and tennis rackets as they take their small dogs or children on a walk.

Coyotes are naturally fearful of humans, but they lose caution and fear when they can easily get to human food and garbage, experts say.

This year, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there have been four reported cases of coyotes biting humans in Irvine – a master planned community known for its abundance of open space and trails.

“Scientists are still trying to figure out if what the coyotes are doing is seeing a person as a food source or if they are trying to remove them from that location,” Fish and Wildlife Capt. Rebecca Hartman said. “I heard a biologist say that it’s possibly a territorial thing. We are just not sure what the behavior of that animal is about, so anytime there’s an animal that attacks a child, our department makes an effort to take that animal out of the population if possible.”

Below is a summary of the four coyote incidents, provided by Fish and Wildlife. Those who have been attacked suffered minor injuries. Hartman said she hasn’t seen any confirmed cases of rabies in her 16-year stint with the department.

• June 28: A woman felt a tug on her left heel as she was walking near Oak Creek Elementary School. She stopped and turned and saw a small coyote run off into bushes.

• Aug. 3: A transient man sleeping at Mike Ward Community Park in Woodbridge was bitten on his face. He saw a medium-sized coyote run off.

• Aug. 21: A 2-year-old girl was walking on a sidewalk with an adult and a large dog near Yale Avenue East Yale Loop when a coyote knocked her over. The coyote then tugged on the back of her shirt.

• Oct. 9: A 6-year-old boy was bitten by a coyote at Springbrook Park. The coyote dragged him a few feet before his father and bystanders chased the animal away.

Contact the writer: tshimura@scng.com