An injured coyote bit a 43-year-old woman cross-country skiing near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone on Tuesday morning, according to a Yellowstone National Park press release.

Park staff temporarily closed the road in the Canyon Village area where the incident occurred before identifying and killing the coyote, which is being tested for rabies.

Encounters like these are rare, but they can happen, said wildlife biologist Doug Smith in the press release. We suspect this coyote may have been starving due to having porcupine quills in its lower jaw and inside its mouth. Its young age likely led to its poor condition and irregular behavior.

The woman, who is a winter resident of the park, was cross-country skiing on the Grand Loop Road near the South Rim Drive when the coyote came up from behind and bit her on the arm, according to Linda Veress, park spokeswoman. Park dispatch received a call about the incident on Jan. 28 at about 9:50 a.m.

Witnesses took the injured woman to the Canyon Visitor Education Center, where rangers provided initial treatment for puncture wounds and lacerations to her head and arm. Rangers then transported her to Mammoth Hot Springs. From there she continued on to a hospital. The victims name was not released.

Snowcoach drivers in the area had seen a coyote acting aggressively, according to Jeff Henry, a Yellowstone winterkeeper. About 20 people live and work in the Canyon area in the winter, he said.

Yellowstones interior is accessible in winter only via over-the-snow vehicles such as snowmobiles, snowcats or such vans equipped with large tires or tracks.

The incident prompted park officials to remind visitors that wildlife in Yellowstone National Park can be unpredictable. Tourists are urged to be aware of their surroundings and never to feed wildlife. Animals that associate humans with food may become aggressive.

What it did was abnormal behavior for a coyote because humans are not prey to coyotes, Veress said. They normally eat small mammals like rodents and rabbits and a variety of smaller items, but humans are not their prey. Therefore, this is unnatural behavior and a human safety threat, and why it was killed.

Some unusual coyote attacks on humans have occurred in Yellowstone in the past, although the park has no exact number because of inconsistent record keeping.

In January 1990, a 27-year-old Illinois man and park employee was cross-country skiing in Biscuit Basin when a coyote lying along the trail leapt up and bit him on the face. He suffered cuts and puncture wounds on his head, face, neck and hands, but managed to deter the coyotes attack by beating it with one of his skis. Three coyotes were later killed by park officials.

Perhaps the most frightening coyote attack in Yellowstone occurred in November 1960 at Mammoth Hot Springs, when a 1 1/2-year-old baby who had been left in a stroller on a porch in the headquarters compound was attacked by a coyote.

A neighbor saw the assault and swatted at the coyote with a broom. The child received 21 stitches to her face and had bruises on her back and arms, but was otherwise protected by a heavy snowsuit.

For strange coyote incidents in Yellowstone, a German tourist being bitten in October 1992 stands out. The 65-year-old man pulled his car over along Sylvan Pass after the coyote was seen biting at his cars tires, according to a news report of the incident. When the man stepped out of the auto, the coyote jumped in and began eating food on the car seat. The tourist was bitten as he shoved the coyote out of the vehicle.

A study of coyote attacks on humans published in 2009 documented 142 incidents resulting in 159 victims between 1960 and 2006 in the United States and Canada. Most attacks occurred within the western portion of the United States, with 49% of attacks occurring in California and 13% in Arizona, according to the study.

Overall, there were a slightly higher number of coyote attacks on children than adults. In attacks classified as predatory, however, the majority of victims were children. Most of the incidents occurred near the victims residence, with about one-quarter occurring in parks.

Almost half of the victims were engaged in some type of recreational activity, which could make the people look like fleeing prey. That would also explain why the majority of the children victims were attacked while playing in their yard. The next most common type of activity of victims prior to attack was resting or sleeping outside (19%). In 1996, one Yellowstone tourist was reportedly bitten on the foot while napping outdoors with his boots off.

The studys authors pointed to the fact many of the attacks occurred in the daytime, not typically when coyotes would be out hunting, suggesting they had become used to humans and human food sources:

A study of human-coyote conflicts in U.S. national parks also found that aggressive behavior by coyotes was exhibited more often in areas where park visitors were feeding coyotes than in areas where wildlife feeding occurred less frequently.

Earlier this month, two coyote attacks were reported in downtown Chicago, one on a 6-year-old boy. Adaptable and intelligent animals, coyotes have become more common in cities across the United States.

In the wild, coyotes typically eat small mammals like mice and voles. In Yellowstone they are sometimes seen scavenging carcasses killed by larger predators, like wolves and bears. Although mistaken for wolves, coyotes are much smaller, weighing about 25 to 35 pounds and standing only 16 to 20 inches high at the shoulder.

Though coyotes once thrived in Yellowstone, their population declined dramatically with the reintroduction of wolves in the 1990s as a result of attacks by wolves, competition for food and loss of territory, according to park information.

In the wake of the Tuesday assault, park officials are reminding visitors all food, garbage or other smelly items should be packed away when not in use. Visitors are required to stay 25 yards away from all large animals bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.

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Injured Yellowstone coyote killed after biting cross-country skier; crazy details of earlier attacks - Sports and Weather Right Now