JOHNSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — A hiker was forced to kill a coyote with his bare hands in Johnston Friday afternoon, according to authorities.
Johnston Police Chief Mark Vieira tells 12 News the coyote attacked the hiker in a wooded area off of Belfield Drive.
The hiker was able to pin the coyote down by its neck, according to Vieira. It suffocated to death as a result.
Vieira said the coyote bit the hiker in the leg.
It’s unclear whether the coyote was acting suspiciously prior to the attack. The R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM) recovered the coyote’s remains for rabies testing.
The DEM noted there have only been two reports of rabid coyotes in Rhode Island since 1994.
This comes less than a day after a dogwalker was bitten by a coyote in Scituate. The DEM is investigating whether the attacks are connected due to their proximity.
Since the attacks seem “too coincidental,” the DEM plans on measuring the bite marks on both victims to determine whether the wounds were inflicted by the same coyote. Those measurements won’t be collected until after the rabies testing is complete.