Police in a Massachusetts town said a dog had to euthanized after seven coyotes attacked it, just hours before a man was also attacked and bitten while walking his dogs.
Massachusetts is home to the Eastern Coyote, a medium-sized predator and opportunistic feeder, according to MassWildlife.
Reportedly, officials estimate there are around 11,500 coyotes in the state, as per 2021.
Cohasset, a town in Massachusetts, saw two different attacks in just one day on August 27, police told local media in a release. In just a few hours, two dogs were attacked outside a home by a group of seven coyotes while a man was also bitten during an attack on his two dogs.
In the first attack, police said the dogs were off leash when approached and attacked by the group of coyotes. The owner described it as "coordinated" when speaking to WCVB.
"It was almost a coordinated effort. It was absolutely incredible," Jeff Pratt said. "Three came out one way, four came around the back way and attacked the second dog. I had seven coyotes in my driveway."
Dog Bella sadly did not survive the attack as she was later euthanized due to the extensive injuries she suffered. Fellow pup Sadie was also left with serious injuries.
"She had a punctured lung, two cracked ribs, a big seven-inch gash on the back of her back," Pratt told WCVB.
At 8.a.m. that same day, police responded to another coyote attack in Cohasset. A man and his two dogs were attacked by an individual coyote while walking the blue trail in the Whitney Thayer Woods by Brass Kettle Brook.
The owner had to be taken to hospital after the attack and was later released.
Natural Resources Officer Josh Kimball said in a release seen by Boston.com that coyotes are active throughout the entire year, but there's often increased activity as winter approaches and they hunt in preparation.
Officials are now warning owners to be aware when with their animals. Coyotes, Kimball said, see smaller pets as prey and larger pets as competition, both potentially leading to an attack.
These attacks are a part of a string of reported attacks in the state recently, including various dogs killed by the wild animal at the end of August in the Greater Boston area.
In July, a woman was attacked by a coyote in a Swampscott, Massachusetts, restaurant. In May, one family even mistakenly took in a coyote pup after they believed it to be a lost puppy.
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