UPDATE (Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, 7:20 p.m.): The animal responsible for the bite was an off-leash dog, not a coyote, Marblehead police said. The animal was contained and was not a threat to others.
Residents in Marblehead, Massachusetts, are being urged to take caution after police say a woman was bitten by an animal while jogging at a park.
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The incident occurred Monday near Brown Street on the Marblehead Neck, according to Marblehead police, which is next to a wildlife sanctuary.
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"Wow, that's scary," said Marblehead resident Ali Piatelli.
After an investigation by animal control and the animal inspector, it was determined that the biting animal was possibly a coyote.
The jogger -- who was bit three times -- is expected to be OK.
People in the area had mixed reactions.
Tom Gabel said he was "definitely surprised" — he'd "never heard of that happening before."
But for some like Peter McManus, this isn't out of the ordinary: "They're here. You see them all the time, you hear them all the time."
McManus said he sees coyotes in the bushes of in a neighborhood that's near the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary.
Mass. wildlife biologist Susan McCarthy says these incidents are pretty rare. In this case, the woman was bit multiple times.
"The animal was sort of approaching her with a real purpose," McCarthy said. "She was just out jogging on her own, said that the animal first approached her from behind."
"It bit the back of her leg first, then came around her front and bit her on the front of the leg next and then ran off and came back that third time," McCarthy added.
Based on the victim's description, authorities believe she was attacked by a coyote that likely has rabies.
"The bite occurred just after 4 p.m. so lighting was very good," McCarthy said. "She also noted that the animal appeared to be about 30-40 pounds."
Neighbors say coyotes are very active in the area.
“We live on the sanctuary right here and we usually see coyotes run across our yard,” Tori Himmel said.
“We hear them howling at night and its weird -- last night they were howling from two different directions. Usually you hear them howling together,” Susan Strader said.
The victim has already undergone post-exposure rabies shots, according to authorities. Now they're urging people to haze coyotes.
"Using loud aggressive body language, loud noises, things like blasting an air horn, spraying at it with a garden hose, those types of things, to really assert your dominance," McCarthy explained.
And keep your cats inside, your dogs on a leash or close by.
“It is a little scary," Himmel said. "Our yard is fully fenced in and our dog comes outside a lot.”
“He’s not going out without us around,” Strader said of her pet. "Now I’m very aware of them. Very conscious.”
Mass. Wildlife is emphasizing that people should never feed coyotes.
Police have said this was an isolated incident, and the coyote may have been startled by the jogger. Still, residents are being asked to stay alert.
Police, animal control and environmental police are aware of the situation and will be monitoring the area.
