HOPKINTON, N.H. — New Hampshire officials say a teenager walking his dog in Hopkinton was attacked by a coyote and is receiving a course of rabies shots as a precaution.
A Fish and Game wildlife biologist called the Wednesday attack on a human “highly unusual” and said they believe the coyote is rabid because of its uncharacteristically aggressive behavior.
Officials believe the same coyote attacked a dog in Hopkinton earlier in the week. The dog survived, but required veterinary care.
Fish and Game officials say the teen, whose name was not released, was walking the family dog in a wooded area near his home when the coyote approached. His dog ran and the coyote attacked the teenager. Officials say the teen punched the coyote repeatedly in the nose until it ran off. The teenager was scratched and possibly bitten by the coyote.
“It’s the first time we know of that a coyote has attacked a person in New Hampshire,” wildlife biologist Pat Tate said. He said local residents need to be aware the coyote is out there.
Fish and Game conservations officers and Hopkinton police are searching for the coyote and plan to kill it on sight, if possible. The animal will then be tested for rabies.
Tate said coyotes are present throughout the state and typically show no interest in humans or pets.
“This incident, as scary as it was, gives us no reason to fear wild animals in general,” Tate said. “We suspect it’s the same coyote and that the coyote is rabid, given the uncharacteristic aggressiveness of the attacks.
“If a coyote expresses any interest in a human — whether friendly or aggressive — that’s unusual and that’s when you need to be on alert,” Tate said.
Tate recommends people yell at coyotes to instill fear. Most, he said, will retreat when faced with loud noise or thrown objects.
“Shout at it. Make sure it knows you are a threat,” Tate said. “If it comes at you, hit it hard on the head and snout.”
Hopkinton residents who spot an aggressive coyote are asked to call the Fish and Game dispatch center at 271-3361 during the day and 911 in the evening.
“His dog ran and the coyote attacked the teenager” time to get a new dog.
thats what I was thinking too
Depends on the breed of dog. And animals think only of survival and is it the dogs fault that humans are slow and fragile.
You know, I have had a fair amount of dogs, mostly beagles and everyone single one has stayed in similar situations.
Oh my gosh, here we go. This column will warrant more comments than if it had been a deranged pitbull that had coyote phobia. The fact that the last person to die of rabies in Maine was in 1935 will be of no significance.
An excuse to go coyote hunting? Pity ;)
Kill a coyote that was born in a den because it kills a deer to survive so that a human braggart can kill a deer for a thrill and a trophy to mount on the wall of his den. Great logic.
I eat my deer , leanest meat you can eat ! very healthy There is a place in this world for all of gods animals , on the plate next to the potatoes and gravy !
In my first life I was a coyote and cooked guys like you on my roaster. Human flesh is delicious. Especially the big fat ones and better if they were grossly obese. Yum, yum.
I doubt you were ever a coyote Billy, they are sly and cunning. Hopefully one of them eats your doggy or kitty.
Maybe you should check out exactly how the coyotes kill deer. They cripple it first so it can’t get away, and then start eating it long before it is dead.
Its alot less humane than a quick kill with a bullet, i can testify to that, the problem as of the last 20 years are people have tried to apply human characteristics to animals. I can tell you that there is no comparison, animals are not human-like, there physical and biological make-up is very different from mans in terms that the are built for survival in the harshest conditions. They have enzymes in their blood that clot much larger wounds and much faster than humans, they have adrenaline rushes that far surpass human capability’s ! They can survive injuries that humans could never survive ! Not animals are in this category , but many are ! Why do you think veterinarians prices have risen at an alarming rate in the last 10 years ? its because they have figured out that most animals are owned by women , a lot of people put human characteristics to pets and animals now, and they can charge you as much money to mend your animals as doctors can mending your children !
Actually, anthropomorphism is way older than 20 years. The term was actually coined in the 1700’s.
How about the Greek Gods? Eos and Nyx are two good examples.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyx
The Egyptians, for instance, believed cats were cursed with the conscience of man but trapped in the cat body.
Then, we have..
Aesop’s Fables
Alice in Wonderland (1865)
The Jungle Book (1894)
Winnie the Pooh and
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in 1926.
Veterinarian fees, milk, gas, mechanics…What *hasn’t* risen at an alarming rate in the past 10 years?
My cat’s annual check up, including a booster for FeLV, cost about $85. Then, I buy a 6 month package of flea drops for about $50 depending on the sales they’re having at petco and that typically lasts about a year for us. I probably spend $150 per year on her health total. Way cheaper than a kid and heck of a lot more independent too. :)
Yes, the will to survive is much different in wild animals. Domesticated pets have adopted many of man’s behaviors. You will never see a wild animal feel sorry for itself, as with humans and pets.
If animals could fight with weapons , i still would be eating them ! cause im smarter ! Or at least i think so, and thats half the battle !
Then by all means hunt said animals with just your hands and your brains.
What did you have for a roaster, Billy? Was it a Ronco rotisserie? Did it really cut the fat like Ronco claims?
Animal Conspiracy theory ! The animals are fed up with us humans ! Comedian that was frequently on the Bob and Tom radio show talked about this ! I believe you can go to u-tube and enter Tim Badores animal conspiracy theory and get his view on this !
Coyotes are an invasive species that need extinction. They serve no purpose.
Humans are an invasive species, do you think the same should happen to us?
don’t worry it will eventually. Our own arrogance will get us at some point. I’m taking bets on the next top of the food chain, chimps are at 3:1, dogs are 6:1, sharks are a long shot at 60:1, and cockroaches are an even bet.
No, because we make the rules, we are in charge, and humans should be allowed more importance than animals.
Sorry, we only believe we make the rules. Mother Nature is the ultimate maker of rules.
When a hunter who claims to be intelligent thinks it is OK to kill a deer for a thrill and a trophy (especially if it has horns) and at the same time thinks it is wrong for a coyote to kill a deer for survival, I question the intelligence of the hunter.
What has that got to do with a rabid coyote attacking a teen and his dog out of the blue? Off topic. This is not a hunting story.
Deer have antlers not horns.If you are to comment,please use the correct classifications.Intelligence can be questioned at any time.
The most abominable and invasive creature on the planet is man – 7 billion of them. The coyote population is a grain of sand of the beach – relatively speaking. AND they don’t pollute the earth or jump from tall buildings like Superman does.
I know it is difficult for a hunter to THINK, but please try it one time. Throughout history, men have killed millions and millions of other men in the most horrible way imaginable – bullets, bombs, swords, arrows, poison gas, etc. And men have also killed millions and millions of innocent women, old men and children – almost 200,000 of them in Hiroshima alone and 7 million Jews in Germany. And in the United States, men murder 20,000 other men every single year. And there is no record of how many wildlife creatures that men has killed for thrill but it must be in the bazillions. And yet, men (hunters) get all upset about a coyote that has never killed anything but a deer or a few rabbits just to survive.
I’m sure someone will plead for the coyote. After all ” they only prey upon the sick and old that would die anyway”. “Yeah, Right”. Coyotes attack people all over this country and the biologists always say “It’s the first time it’s ever happened here.”
Have you ever tried to kill a coyote? They are tough sons of guns. That Wile E. Coyote can fall off a 200 foot cliff and have a 6 ton boulder land on him and walk a way…
.243 works very well.
I’m thinking F-22 Raptor air strike…
Good choice but I find that the cost of ammunition is a bit strong for my pocketbook.
you just have to be inventive, you get Micheal Bay to film it to use in his next film, (Transformers was one explosion after another) and for allowing him to film it you would get 2% of the gross of the film.
Just one more reason to carry. :-)
During the bear referendum, outdoor writer Paul Reynolds accused me of biting a dog and I didn’t even have rabies.
how’s that save the coyotes thing working for you?