WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A coyote that was killed by a policeman after attacks on several humans in a New York suburb was rabid, health officials said Wednesday. The finding by the Westchester County Department of Health was the first confirmation of rabies in a coyote in the county. Rye Brook police Chief Greg Austin said the finding made him...
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A coyote that was killed by a policeman after attacks on several humans in a New York suburb was rabid, health officials said Wednesday. The finding by the Westchester County Department of Health was the first confirmation of rabies in a coyote in the county.
Rye Brook police Chief Greg Austin said the finding made him confident that the dead coyote was the one responsible for all the attacks last weekend in his village, which is about 30 miles northeast of Manhattan. “There’s peace of mind that we have a reason for this now,” Austin said. “This behavior is uncharacteristic of coyotes.”
On the other hand, he said, the conclusion means rabies could be spreading to other coyotes, which might make them dangerous. “As we’ve said already, people should avoid contact when they see a coyote,” Austin said. “Try to instill fear in the animal, and if that doesn’t work avoid the animal and report it.”
A toddler, her father and a teenager were bitten Sunday in two attacks. On Monday, a coyote lunged at a trapper and then turned on the policeman, who shot it. Police said that coyote also had been seen attacking its own pup, which may have been dead already.
All the people who were bitten or exposed to the coyote’s saliva in the weekend attacks in Rye Brook were being treated for rabies even before the viral disease was confirmed in the coyote. Rabies, which attacks the central nervous system and is characterized by choking and convulsions, generally is fatal if untreated.
In June, two children were attacked by coyotes in neighboring Rye. Experts said those coyotes did not appear to be rabid but probably were not among the 10 coyotes that were trapped there after the attacks.
The health department said a rabid animal may become abnormally aggressive or unusually tame and can lose its normal fear of people. Experts said in June that even healthy coyotes may have been losing their fear of humans because of increased interaction.
For decades, coyotes have been moving steadily south from upstate New York into the suburbs of the nation’s largest city. At least five have been spotted in Manhattan this year.