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A Rhode Island hiker killed a rabid coyote with his bare hands after being attacked and bitten on the leg on Friday, and officials believe the same coyote was involved in another attack on a human.
The man was hiking in the woods of Johnston, a town about 10 miles west of downtown Providence, when the attack occurred.
He pinned the animal down by the neck and cut off its air supply, the Johnston Police Department said. The man was not identified by officials.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, DEM, took the carcass to a testing facility where the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories, RIDOH, confirmed the rabies diagnosis.
The same coyote is believed to have attacked a dog walker on Thursday in nearby Scituate, Rhode Island DEM announced.
“I urge anyone in Scituate and Johnston who may have come into contact with the coyote to call the RIDOH Infectious Disease division,” Rhode Island State Veterinarian Dr. Scott Marshall said in a press release.
“If pet owners in these two communities believe their pet has interacted with coyote, call or visit your veterinarian,” Marshall said.
It is unusual for a coyote to attack a human under normal circumstances. This is only the third reported rabid coyote in Rhode Island since 1994, according to officials.
