I found one of the dads I observe this way a few days ago: covered in blue paint. It’s very apparent that he’s been shot with paintballs. This constitutes harassment and abuse of our wildlife and is illegal. If you know, or get whiff of, who is doing this, please report them to ACC. This is in the Lake Merced area.
A paintball gun can cause serious injuries. It’s unlikely that a shooter could actually stop an animal’s heart, I read, but they could cause internal injuries like bleeding that could kill the animal over time. A paintball bullet causes unnecessary pain and suffering for an animal, and more so if one of the more powerful paintball guns out there is being used.
In addition to internal injuries caused by the impact, other common injuries from these guns include traumatic eye injuries, some leading to partial or complete blindness. Blunt forces to the eye can permanently impede the eyes’ ability to create clear images and can lead to cataracts. Knee and ligament injuries also can result from the the blunt force of the paintballs, as can broken bones, all of which, in turn, can lead to Infections: our wild animals are not privy to the medical care we are.
UPDATE: It appears that the paint is water-soluble, and by the fourth of May, that coyote looked like this, with the blue slowly fading. The impact of the paintball could still have inflicted substantial damage.
Coyote Yipps 
May 01, 2022 @ 14:05:51
Heartbreaking violation and disrespect.
May 05, 2022 @ 01:17:23
That’s a very sad photo of the “blue” coyote. If shooting wildlife with paintballs a common occurrence? I’d like to share but have concerns the wrong people will get a new idea.
May 07, 2022 @ 19:48:23
That is why I, too, am reluctant to make too big a thing of it. No, it’s rare I think — this is the only case I’ve come across.
May 05, 2022 @ 01:19:59
Very sad photo of the “blue coyote”. Is shooting wildlife with paintballs a common occurrence?
May 07, 2022 @ 19:47:16
This is the first instance I’ve ever seen of it, so I don’t think it’s common. But it takes just one thoughtless or mean person to create havoc. :(
May 05, 2022 @ 01:25:31
It brought me to tears… The pix was terribly distressing.