The coyote attacked three people before being euthanized.
Last Thursday, three coyote attacks were reported in Rockville, Maryland. The first victim was a woman and her dog, followed by a child and another woman. Even though coyotes are usually nocturnal, all the attacks surprisingly happened during the daytime hours.
Ana Adams, 59, was out for a regular morning walk with her dog Emma at 10 a.m. on Thursday, when the coyote approached her on the wooded trails near her house on Winder Court. The coyote attacked the dog first, and when Adams tried to distract the animal, it then turned its attention to her.
"I fell down and I was on my back, and the coyote was biting my legs,” Adams told the news media.
That's when she picked up a stick to defend herself.
“It was kind of surprised, and that gave me time to get up."
Adams and her dog tried to return home, but the coyote kept following them. Every time it tried to attack, Adams smacked it again. Eventually, it stopped following, and Adams was treated at the hospital for her injuries. The dog is being quarantined as a safety precaution.
Later that day, around 3:30 p.m., a 12-year-old boy was attacked by the coyote on the Upper Watts Branch Trail at Nelson Street and College Parkway. Then, a third attack occurred on a female victim at 4:20 p.m., in the 500 block of Redland Boulevard near Reserve Champion Drive.
Update - IAO Nelson Street & College Parkway, on trail in wooded area, animal bite, allegedly juvenile bitten by a coyote, PD in area investigating & searching/tracking animal, @MCFRS_EMIHS transporting 1 pre-teen Pri2 trauma NLT, @mcfrs EMS703, PE703B, A703, BC703 were on scene https://t.co/BYwuTR1b8J
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) October 1, 2020
500blk Redland Boulevard near Reserve Champion Drive, Rockville, reported animal bite, allegedly a coyote, @mcfrs A728, PE732, EMS703 responding, police on scene
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) October 1, 2020
Both the boy and the woman were treated for non-fatal injuries and are doing fine.
With repeated reports of attacks and sightings, the officials asked the concerned neighborhoods around Montgomery College to shelter in as police searched for the aggressive animal. The coyote was located in a storm drain at Upper Watts Branch Park around 4:45 p.m. and was later put down. The coyote tested positive for rabies on Friday at the Maryland Department of Health.
“It’s very unlikely that a person could outrun a coyote. They’re very fast,” said Rockville’s director of communications Marylou Berg, urging residents to back away slowly if they come into contact with one. Running away could increase the likelihood of an attack.
Since rabies can be fatal when untreated, the state officials asked anyone who came in contact with the coyote to call the Montgomery County Health Department at (240) 777-1755. You can read more tips about what to do in a coyote encounter here.
What do you think? Have you ever had an encounter with a coyote? Tell us in the comments!
