Coyote in Okatie biting incident struck, killed by car

The coyote believed to have bitten someone in Okatie last week was recovered by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control after the animal was struck and killed by a car, a DHEC spokesman said Wednesday.

DHEC officials recovered the carcass Sept. 25, a day after it attacked, Mark Plowden said.

The agency announced Monday that a coyote involved in the biting incident last week had tested positive for rabies, and that the victim had been referred to a health care provider.

Although there is no lab proof the recovered coyote was the culprit, photos taken by the victim of the coyote that attacked matched the dead animal, Plowden said.

The victim's identity has not been revealed because of federal health care privacy regulations, Plowden said. He also said he could not reveal the specific location of the biting.

The victim was jogging in Okatie when the coyote approached in a zig-zag pattern, biting the victim on the leg. The victim was able to escape by kicking the coyote away, Plowden said.

The victim immediately sought treatment, and the health care provider contacted DHEC about possible rabies exposure the same day. Once the animal tested positive for rabies, the victim received treatment from a DHEC-provided doctor and a private health care provider, Plowden said.

Beaufort County Animal Control was alerted to the coyote by a caller who found the dead animal on Pinckney Colony Road, Beaufort County public information officer Joy Nelson said. Because animal control does not handle wild-animal cases, they told the caller to contact DHEC for removal, Nelson said.

Typically, a local agency -- or even the victims themselves -- handle the initial removal of the animals before DHEC receives them for testing, Plowden said.

The coyote was the fourth animal to test positive for rabies in Beaufort County this year. The three other cases involved raccoons, DHEC spokeswoman Cassandra Harris said.

Since 2010, 15 animals -- 13 raccoon, one bat and one fox -- have tested positive for rabies in Beaufort County, according to DHEC data. Statewide, DHEC has confirmed 109 cases of animal rabies this year. Last year, there were 124 cases.

Statewide, human exposure to rabies rarely results in illness, as the state's notification and vaccination system has prevented widespread cases, Plowden said. Since the 1950s, only one death from rabies has been documented in South Carolina.

Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.

Related content:

• Rabid coyote bites person in Okatie , Sept. 29, 2014

This story was originally published October 1, 2014 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Coyote in Okatie biting incident struck, killed by car."