Coati attacks car, then Tucson hiker

When the man hiking in Ash Canyon saw the coatimundi on the car hood, he tried to scare it away by shouting and waving his arms, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department says.

Instead, the coatimundi tore off the car’s windshield wiper, jumped down and attacked the unidentified hiker.

The man was scratched and bitten by the racoon-like animal before he was able to get into the vehicle, authorities say.

He received a rabies shot as a precaution.

A federal wildlife specialist searched the area, but was unable to find the coatimundi.

If found, the coatimundi will then be tested for rabies.

The sheriff’s office recommends people spending time in rural, mountainous  areas not attempt to engage with any wild animal.

Cochise County recently reported two cases of rabies in gray foxes that interacted with the community near Ramsey Canyon. Other Arizona counties have warned about possibly rabid animals.