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Connecticut 08/10/16 http://wtnh.com/: Two people were attacked by a beaver on the Quinebaug River near the Pomfret/Killingly line. DEEP officials are warning swimmers and boaters to stay away from the area. “It appeared to be one animal that bit and injured two people,” said Dennis Schain the Communications Director with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Karen Greb and Gahrett Bond were attacked Monday evening as they were standing in the river.
Greb wrote in this Facebook post:
“Beavers do attack. I was swimming in the Quinebaug River just standing there when something clamped down on my rib cage. I shoved my hand in its mouth to get it to release me and tore the ligament in my thumb.”
Her boyfriend Gahrett Bond jumped in to help her and that’s when the beaver attacked Bond latching onto his leg.
“We did nothing to this beaver. But they do attack viciously just be careful. This is truly what nightmares are made of.”
The couple ended up in the hospital with serious injuries. “Both of them required them multiple stitches and we understand the woman who was attacked actually is going to need on surgery her hand. Depending on where you got bitten and how prolonged an attack was which is even rare to happen the injuries could be serious,” said Schain. As a precaution, the couple is undergoing treatment for rabies. “This attack was very unusual. Healthy beaver usually don’t go after people and beaver don’t often get infected with rabies,” said Schain. DEEP officials did encounter a beaver with aggressive behavior, but have been unable to capture the animal. – See http://wtnh.com/2016/08/10/beaver-attacks-two-people-on-the-quinebaug-river/
Coyote Attacks:
California 08/09/16 .latimes.com: by Erica Evans – Police have ordered the closure of a popular Montebello park and petting zoo after three people were attacked recently by coyotes. Although incidents of coyotes attacking small dogs and cats are a fact of life in Southern California, attacks on people are rare, and officials and neighbors alike expressed worry Tuesday over the animals’ brazen behavior. Two of the victims were forced to seek treatment for possible rabies infection. “People are not food for coyotes,” said Andrew Hughan, information officer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Generally, they’re afraid of us.” Wildlife personnel shot and killed four coyotes at Grant Rea Park Monday night and one more Tuesday evening, officials said. They also set up traps with bait but did not capture any animals that way. The park, a grassy recreational area that covers about one square mile at 600 Rea Drive, features a petting zoo filled with ducks, goats, donkeys, sheep and other animals, as well as a playground, several baseball diamonds and picnic tables. Officials ordered the park closed Monday night and said it will remain closed until the Department of Fish and Wildlife determines that it is safe for the public. The three victims — two men and a teenage girl — all suffered unprovoked attacks. – For complete article see http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-coyote-attacks-20160809-snap-story.html
Pennsylvania 08/09/16 post-gazette.com: by Andrew Goldstein – A coyote that tested positive for rabies was shot and killed hours after it bit a man Monday night in Lincoln Borough, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. The coyote was shot Tuesday by officers with the Lincoln Police Department, the county said, and Pennsylvania Game Commission employees took its carcass to the health department lab, where it tested positive for rabies. The bite victim, who was identified only as an adult male, has already begun post-exposure treatment, the health department said. Even though the rabid coyote was killed, the health department warned that because coyotes are pack animals, others may be infected. – For complete article see http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2016/08/09/Coyote-tests-positive-for-rabies-after-attacking-Lincoln-man/stories/201608090198
Rhode Island 08/08/16 http://turnto10.com/news: by Jessica A. Botelho – A Warwick apartment complex is warning residents to be aware of coyotes after police said they received reports that a person was bitten in the area. “Over the last 24-48 hours, we have received multiple reports of coyotes approaching buildings, pets, and humans in the areas of buildings 1-8,” Cowesset Hills Management wrote in a letter to residents Monday. Cowesset Hills, which is located on Greenwich Bay at 3595 Post Road, also told NBC 10 News during a brief phone interview that management is working with Warwick police and environmental authorities “to resolve the issue as fast as possible.” Police confirmed that they received reports that a coyote bit someone at the complex on Sunday. Authorities said they were again called to the area on Monday, as a coyote was behaving erratically. According to police, the coyote was shot and killed as a result, and the Department of Environmental Management is investigating whether it was the same coyote. – For complete article see http://turnto10.com/news/local/person-reportedly-bitten-by-coyote-at-warwick-apartment-complex-authorities-say
West Nile Virus (WNV):
Colorado 08/11/16 denverpost.com: by John Ingold – Thirteen people in Colorado have tested positive for West Nile virus so far this year, including one who died from the disease, the Colorado Health Department announced Wednesday. Three of the cases were in Boulder County, according to a news release by that county’s public health department. The cases in Boulder County involved a 74-year-old woman, a 47-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy. None of the three were hospitalized. It is unclear where the other cases have been reported, and health officials would not release more information about the death. The first case of West Nile virus was reported this year in June in Larimer County, said Jennifer House, the state public health veterinarian. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in its announcement Wednesday that people, animals or mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile in 14 counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Bent, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Gunnison, La Plata, Larimer, Mesa, Morgan, Rio Blanco and Weld. – For complete article see http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/10/west-nile-cases-death-colorado/