A coyote captured in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, has tested positive for rabies, according to animal control officials.
Lynnfield resident Kerrianne Allain said she was putting away her holiday decorations in her driveway on Lynnbrook Road on Friday when she saw the coyote.
"I thought at first it was a dog, and I stopped and I looked and it was literally four feet from me," Allain told NBC 10 Boston.
"I jumped in the car and the coyote did not move," she said. "He just kept staying close to me."
Allain wasn't hurt but she knew something was wrong with the animal's behavior.
According to animal control officials, the coyote had also been spotted between December 23 and December 27 in the area of Emerald Drive and Meghans Way in Lynn.
Rabies is a potentially life-threatening disease that can be contracted by exposure of saliva through a bite, scratch, wound or an orifice. It's possible the coyote may have spread rabies to other wild animals, according to animal control.
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Animal control officials say anyone who may have come in contact with the coyote is asked should contact the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Owners of pets who may have been in contact with the coyote are urged to contact Lynnfield Animal Control or Lynn Animal Control.
