NEHALEM, Ore. – State officials shot and killed a coyote that injured a small girl and was acting aggressively towards other people at Nehalem Bay State Park.

Larry Oswald, the park manager, said the coyote was spotted following at least four separate groups of people at the park late last week.

In one case, the animal made contact with a 5-year-old girl on Thursday night, injuring her back. In other incident, the coyote also nudged a small child, Oswald said.

Concerned that the animal was acting so aggressively, Oswald said park officials tracked it down early Saturday morning and shot it.

The animal’s carcass was taken to Oregon State University where it will be tested for rabies and other diseases.

Oswald said other coyotes spotted by rangers acted normally and ran away. This animal, however, did not seem as skittish around the rangers as it should have been.

He said this coyote they shot matches the description of the animal that came into contact with the park visitors.

Incidents of coyotes having any interaction with humans are rare on the coast. In fact, the incident where the girl was injured was the first ever such encounter recorded in an Oregon state park, officials said.

The girl’s mother said she did nothing to provoke the animal. In the other cases, visitors either had small children or small dogs around when the coyote approached them.

Parks officials posted warnings asking visitors to be aware of their surroundings when walking on the beach or dunes in the evening or after dark and, of course, not to leave food out.