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cnn
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A single rabid coyote in Rhode Island is believed to have attacked two people in neighboring towns within the span of two days. state environmental officials he said this week.
Friday, a 58-year-old hiker was attacked by a coyote in a wooded area north of Belfield Drive in Johnston, according to the Johnston Police Department. The man suffered a minor leg injury after the coyote bit him and was taken to the hospital.
The hiker said he was able to subdue the coyote by restraining it by the neck, according to police. The animal died and was taken by environmental management officials for testing.
The same animal likely attacked another person Thursday in Scituate, about 11 miles away. officials he said in a Monday news release.
“The rarity of humans being victims of coyote attacks is one of the main reasons we assume a coyote is responsible for both incidents in Rhode Island,” state veterinarian Dr. Scott Marshall told CNN on Wednesday. . “One of our biologists intends to compare the coyote’s dental structure with the bites of the first victim to see if they match. “This will not be definitive, but it may support our assumption that a single coyote is responsible for both incidents.”
The coyote captured on Friday tested positive for rabies, the Rhode Island Department of Health confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.
In 2022, the state health laboratory tested 536 animals, of which 5% tested positive for the rabies virus. The greatest number of tests occurred during the late summer months, but rabies-positive animals can be found throughout the year, according to the health department.
Human cases of rabies are very rare, the Health Department saying. There has not been a human case of rabies in Rhode Island since 1940.
Rabies is endemic in Rhode Island and the state has had terrestrial rabies since 1994. While the dominant strain is the raccoon variant, with about a third of raccoon tests being positive, other species have lower rates. Coyotes accounted for only 0.7% of animal bite incidents reported between 2010 and 2014, according to the health departmentand no coyotes tested positive for rabies between 2021 and 2023.
Marshall said humans being attacked by coyotes are also extremely rare. He has urged anyone in Scituate and Johnston who may have been in contact with the coyote to call the health department’s infectious diseases division.
If someone is bitten or scratched by a wild animal, they should contact a health care professional immediately, the health department said. Without a series of post-exposure vaccinations, virtually all cases are fatal.
Post-exposure vaccination should be administered as soon as possible to anyone with known or probable exposure to rabies, including those who received pre-exposure protection.