Huntersville Family’s Car Attacked By Coyote Believed To Be Rabid

HUNTERSVILLE, NC -- A family driving in their neighborhood near downtown Huntersville got a fright Saturday night that could be the makings of a Hollywood horror movie or maybe your worst nightmare: a likely rabid coyote bearing bloody teeth circling their vehicle before attacking it. The disease, which attacks the nervous system, is fatal in both animals and humans.

“Saw a [most likely] rabid coyote in my neighborhood tonight,” John Schroter wrote on his Facebook page of the Feb. 3 encounter off Old Statesville Road in Huntersville. “I was trying to scare it off from attacking the neighbors dogs and let it return to nature. But then it turned, bared its bloody teeth and attacked my car. So I called 911.”

“I hope they are able to kill/capture this aggressive coyote before it attacks a person,” he said. “The neighbor was able to get her dogs safely inside her house.”

Schroder and his family were in their car near the intersection of Dallas Street and Ranson Street when they spotted the coyote as it growled as they spotted blood on its chin, WSOC reported. In the video, the coyote circles the car then attacked its front bumper before lumbering away.

"Most of the time a coyote sees you he’s gonna run. He doesn’t want anything to do with a human,” coyote hunter Jeff Truitt told the news station. “If a coyote is coming toward you or wants to interact with you most of the time there is something wrong. That coyote is sick or has rabies," he said.

According to WSOC, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Control later located the coyote injured along the side of the road, and euthanized it.

Rabies is spread by the bite or scratch of an infected animal, such as a cat, raccoon, fox or bat. It is also spread when the infected animal's saliva comes in contact with the eyes, nose, mouth or open cut of a person or another animal.

Preventive treatment might be required for anyone who handles an infected animal. Rabies is a fatal disease, and vaccines must be started as soon as possible.

A sign of rabies is a change in normal behavior. Some animals become excitable, irritable and aggressive, while others appear shy, timid, calm and docile. Animals that are normally active at night may become active and visible during the day. Infected animals may also have difficulty walking or may seem disoriented. Other symptoms include weakness, paralysis, inability to eat or drink, drooling, foaming at the mouth, and convulsions, say health officials.

You can watch the family's encounter here:

Photo courtesy of John Schroter

Have you seen coyotes in your neck of the woods? Tell us about it in the comment section.