Possible change in coyote behavior?

http://www.lohud.com/article/20100626/NEWS02/6260362/-1/newsfront/Coyotes-maul-6-year-old-girl-in-Rye

The article above is about an attack on a child, who was playing outside with other children. She was the smallest of them. Her mother was not far away.  And everybody is okay now. Well, except for the coyotes. The behavior of the coyotes in selecting a victim in full view of other people is cited as  evidence the coytoes were rabid. I wonder. It sounds like the coyotes used standard hunting behavior, in isolating the weakest member of a herd. To me this sounds more like coyotes have become more savvy in dealing with human society. Not a good sign in a society which overreacts and may, if this turns out to be a trend, a shift in coyote behavior, may turn out to signal a start for rabid human behavior as a society tries to eliminate a threat in their surroundings, a threat they may not be able to evaluate in terms of the larger welfare of the planet. I mean, coyotes eat a lot of rats. Eliminate the coyotes, sterilize the cats, and then try to poison what's left. Not a good  game plan or evidence of human intelligence. But perhaps I am unduly pessimistic.