A coyote that attacked two people in North Attleboro Monday tested positive for rabies, state wildlife officials said.
Officers were responding to numerous calls about a coyote “acting oddly” when it attacked, prompting cops to kill it. The slain animal was then sent to a Department of Public Health laboratory, where it tested positive for rabies, officials announced yesterday.
“Rabies is a very serious disease affecting the nervous system of mammals, including cats, dogs, raccoons, coyotes, foxes and people,” state officials said in a release, adding, “MassWildlife urges the public to report any observations of wild or domestic mammals displaying symptoms of this fatal disease to local animal control officers.”
The attacks in North Attleboro were the eighth and ninth documented coyote attacks on humans since the 1950s, according to MassWildlife. In five of those cases, the coyotes were either confirmed or suspected of being rabid.
The last confirmed attack on a Bay State resident occurred in Kingston in 2015.
To avoid run-ins with coyotes, officials recommend residents remove bird feeders, secure rubbish containers and take out their trash the morning it is picked up, rather than the night before.
