A rabid coyote attacked a Rhode Island hiker Friday—and the man then killed the animal with his bare hands. The man was hiking in the woods about 10 miles from Providence when the coyote bit him on the leg, NBC News reports. The man then pinned the coyote to the ground by its neck, fatally cutting off its air supply. The animal later tested positive for rabies; it is believed to have been the same coyote that attacked another man in the area while he walked a dog Thursday, the Providence Journal reports. Untreated, rabies is almost always fatal, but is highly treatable with a series of post-exposure vaccinations administered as quickly as possible.
"Although a single coyote attack on a human is rare, two attacks in two days four miles apart in bordering communities is much more than coincidental," says a Department of Environmental Management spokesperson in explaining why authorities believe the same coyote was responsible for both attacks. "I urge anyone in Scituate and Johnston who may have come into contact with the coyote to call the [state Department of Health] Infectious Disease division," the state veterinarian says. "If pet owners in these two communities believe their pet has interacted with coyote, call or visit your veterinarian." (More Rhode Island stories.)
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