Coyote Bites Small Child On Provincetown Beach

PROVINCETOWN (CBS) – A small child was bitten by a coyote on North Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown Wednesday evening.

It happened around 8:30 p.m. The child, who was not identified, was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with injuries that the National Park Service described as "non-life-threatening."

According to the Park Service, rangers "destroyed the coyote responsible." It was found dead on Thursday and will be tested for rabies.

Park Rangers warn that there have been more reports than normal about aggressive coyotes, and they believe the behavior is driven by food.

"More than anything, please clean up your trash. Do not try and feed these animals because the progression of behavior is that they lose this fear of human beings," said Cape Cod National Seashore Ranger Ryan Wright.

Two weeks ago, a woman was chased by a coyote on Race Point Beach in Provincetown and was forced to fight it off with a stick before she was saved by two fishermen.