PROVINCETOWN, MASS. (WHDH) - A coyote that bit a 3-year-old girl on a popular Cape Cod beach on Wednesday night tested negative for rabies.
The attack happened on North Herring Cove Beach within the Cape Cod National Seashore in Provincetown around 8:30 p.m., according to the National Park Service.
The child was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Park rangers responding to the scene identified and shot the coyote responsible for the bite, NPS said.
After the coyote was shot, it ran into thick dune vegetation and died.
Its body was found the following morning about 50 yards from where the park ranger had shot it.
The coyote tested negative for rabies, NPS announced.
Rangers have responded to numerous incidents this summer of coyotes acting assertively toward people in attempts to get food.
Just a week ago, a coyote tried the attack a woman on a nearby beach. That woman screamed for help and a nearby fisherman stepped in.
This aggressive behavior starts with people feeding the coyotes intentionally by leaving food out or inadvertently by not removing food scraps and packaging from the beach, the NPS said.
The coyotes then become habituated and bold in attempts to obtain food.
“When wild animals lose their fear of people, they behave unpredictably and aggressively, resulting in injuries to people and a sad ending for the habituated animal,” the NPS said in a press release.
Rangers are now trying different tactics to get the animals to stay away.
Assertive coyote sightings should be reported to rangers to the dispatch center at 617-242-5659.
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