Hiker kills rabid coyote with bare hands following attack in Rhode Island

A hiker killed a rabid coyote with his bare hands after being attacked in Rhode Island, officials said. 

The coyote attacked the hiker in a wooded area of Johnston on Friday afternoon, local media News 12 reported.  The animal bit the hiker on the leg, Johnston Police Chief Mark Vieira told News 12.

The hiker was able to pin down the coyote down by its neck with his bare hands and suffocate the animal, Vieira told News 12.

Environmental police officers took the coyote's carcass for testing and state laboratories determined the animal had rabies. 

Rhode Island's Department of Environmental Management said the same coyote was involved in a separate attack on Feb. 8 in Scituate, the day News 12 reported a coyote attacked a dog walker.

A viral and often deadly disease carried by animals, rabies can be spread to humans through a scratch or a bite. 

There is no effective cure once the disease is passed, and only a small number of people have survived without prompt medical treatment. However,  if immediate medical attention is received, the person exposed should be fine, Noreen Hynes, director of the Johns Hopkins Geographic Medicine Center of the Division of Infectious Diseases, told CBS News in a previous interview.

Exposed people must receive a series of shots to stop the infection. Rabies vaccines can also prevent infection.  

Rhode Island State Veterinarian Scott Marshall urged anyone who may have come into contact with the coyote to call the state's infectious disease department. He also advised pet owners to report any exposure to a local animal control officer.

Caitlin O'Kane contributed to the report. 

In:
• Rabies
• Rhode Island

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com