JOHNSTON, RI — A hiker in Johnston used his bare hands to kill a rabid coyote who officials believe attacked two people in two days last week, according to The Associated Press.
The coyote first attacked a dog walker on Peeptoad Road in Scituate on Thursday, then bit a hiker in the leg while he was walking in the woods near Bellfield Drive in Johnston on Friday, officials said.
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The hiker pinned the coyote down by its neck, killing it by cutting off its air supply, police said, according to The Associated Press.
Department of Environmental Management police brought the coyote’s carcass in for testing, and according to Rhode Island Department of Health lab tests, the coyote tested positive for rabies.
It’s only the third rabies case in Rhode Island since 1994, The Associated Press reported.
Rabies is a viral disease acquired from the bite or scratch of a rabid animal. Without a post-exposure vaccine series, virtually all cases are fatal. State health officials said the post-exposure vaccination should be administered as soon as possible to anyone with known or likely exposure to rabies, including those who received prior pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Anyone who may have had contact with the coyote is urged to call RIDOH’s Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 401-222-2577 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or 401-276-8046 for after-hours treatment guidance.
The same applies to pets.
“If pet owners in these two communities believe their pet has interacted with the coyote, call or visit your veterinarian to make sure your pet’s rabies vaccination is current,” State Veterinarian Dr. Scott Marshall said, adding that rabies is virtually always preventable with the vaccination.
All dogs, cats, and ferrets are required by state law to have a current vaccination against rabies. Vaccination of pets prevents them from contracting rabies and prevents people from becoming exposed to rabies through their pets, state health officials said.
Health officials said bats in Rhode Island are also known to be infected with the bat strain of rabies. Bat rabies strains are highly transmissible to humans, and preventive vaccination is often recommended for exposure by proximity even without a visible wound, if the bat is not available for testing.
For more information on how to prevent rabies, please visit RIDOH’s website.
