Hiker kills rabid coyote with bare hands after being bitten

JOHNSTON, R.I. — A hiker in Rhode Island killed a coyote with his bare hands on Friday after he was bitten by the animal, which was later found to be rabid, wildlife officials said.

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According to Johnston Police Department Chief Mark A. Vieira, a 58-year-old man was hiking in the wooded area north of Belfield Drive shortly after noon EST on Feb. 9 when he encountered the coyote, the Warwick Beacon reported.

The hiker was bitten in the leg, according to The Associated Press.

Viera said the man pinned the coyote to the ground by its neck and killed it by cutting off its air supply.

“The hiker reported he was able to subdue the coyote by pinning it down by its neck, subsequently suffocating the coyote,” Vieira said, according to the Beacon. “The male sustained a minor injury to his leg and was transported to (Rhode Island) Hospital (in Providence). The RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) responded and took custody of the coyote carcass for testing in order to determine if it was infected with rabies.”

Evan LaCross, a spokesperson for the DEM, said the tests came back positive, the newspaper reported.

“The animal from last Friday’s attack in Johnston was confirmed to be rabid from RIDOH’s laboratory testing,” LaCross said Monday. “DEM expected this result because the attacks were not normal behavior for coyotes.”

A dog walker was attacked in nearby Scituate on Thursday, the Beacon reported. Officials believe both attacks involved the same animal.

Officials said it was only the third report of a rabid coyote in Rhode Island since 1994, according to the AP.

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