First on 10: Coyote believed to have bitten woman in Warwick was rabid

WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — A woman is being treated for possible rabies exposure after she was bitten by a coyote at a Warwick apartment complex.

Patti Elderkin told NBC 10 News she was walking her two pugs at Cowesset Hills Sunday night when she spotted a coyote.

“He was staring at me directly and was snarling,” Elderkin said. “You could see his fangs and all of his teeth.”

Elderkin said the coyote began approaching her and her dogs, and then bit her right leg.

“We started walking maybe one or two more steps and he came at us again viciously, snarling,” she said. “And I fell.”

As she was on the ground, Elderkin said the coyote bit her again, this time on her other leg.

“They gave me four shots in the ER that night for the rabies series and I have to go again tomorrow for one, and then I have to go for two more after that,” she said. “I'm feeling OK. Just tired. A little sore. Reality is hitting about what happened.”

Warwick police shot and killed a coyote at the complex, which is located on Greenwich Bay at 3595 Post Road, on Monday. The Rhode Island Health Department believes the coyote that was killed is the same one that bit Elderkin, but health authorities said there's no one way to know with 100 percent certainty.

The Department of Health said Wednesday that the coyote tested positive for rabies.

People who live there said it's not the first time they've seen coyotes in the area.

John Moone said he also spotted a coyote there. He was in his car Monday morning when a coyote approached the front of his car and bit his front bumper.

“It was coming out of the woods when I saw it,” Moone said. “I could feel, like, a vibration. He was not afraid of me at all. Not afraid of this car at all.”

But Moone said he was terrified of the coyote.

“Absolutely. I wasn't getting out. That was for sure,” he said.

Moone and other neighbors said they are being more vigilant, as management at Cowessett Hills is asking residents to be cautious when walking outdoors. They are also requesting that residents not leave any food outside, as well as avoid isolated areas, including a nearby dog park.

“All of a sudden you feel unsafe because you don't know what's going to pop out,” Brittany Lombardi said. “It's freaky.”

Lombardi said she's seen people feed coyotes in the area and figured the animals were harmless.

“We've seen them a handful of times and we have seen more than one,” she said. “There is actually a family back there. We believe that there is a den there in the woods.”

As for Elderkin, she's not letting the coyote scare get the best of her. She’s grateful that she and her dogs are OK.

“We walked in a different area last night totally away from this area,” she said.

Health authorities said they are testing the coyote that was killed to find out if it was rabid.