MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — A woman, a young girl and a dog were all attacked by a coyote at the South Mountain Reservation in Maplewood, New Jersey.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Office said a 13-year-old girl and her dog, a Shih Tzu, were attacked by a coyote on Friday, according to WCBS. The girl was injured when she tried to free her dog from the coyote.
The attack occurred around 3 p.m. near the South Mountain Reservation off Bear Lane, the sheriff’s office said, according to WABC.
The girl sustained puncture wounds to her leg and was taken to the hospital for treatment, the news outlet reported. Her dog was taken to an animal hospital in critical condition.
Shortly after the girl and dog were attacked, a woman was also bitten by a coyote, WABC reported. Her condition is unknown.
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said, according to the news outlet, that police have closed Crest Drive and the South Mountain Dog Park until Saturday but he continues to urge visitors to be cautious.
New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection is working on locating the coyote and then plans to euthanize it, WCBS reported.
Investigators believe that the coyote is rabid because he was alone and usually coyotes travel in packs, WABC reported.
The current condition of the dog has not yet been updated. The news outlet reported that the dog is expected to survive.
The Department of Environmental Protection recommends never feeding coyotes, bringing pets in at night, if you encounter a coyote to make loud noises or throw rocks to shoo them away, and not keep any foot outside that may attract them, WCBS reported.