Coyote that terrorized Bay Area is euthanized following capture

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A coyote that terrorized residential California, biting five people in the last eight months, was caught and euthanized on Thursday.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday that the wild animal had been captured in the East Bay suburb of Moraga.

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The coyote, an adult male, was finally apprehended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services off of Calle La Montana road close to the scenes of his crimes. 

The team used a padded leghold trap with bait.

In order to confirm that the coyote was the same as their suspect, the state wildlife agency's forensics team compared DNA collected from the coyote with samples from its victims.

Several other coyotes had been caught and euthanized before the suspect was found, according to The New York Times.

U.C. Davis veterinary staff will conduct a rabies test on the animal, although there is no evidence to suggest the animal was rabid. The tests can only be conducted post-mortem.

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Coyotes are native to North America and are present in each state, except Hawaii.

Attacks against humans are rare; the animals are notably nocturnal and not usually confrontational.

This coyote was "unusually aggressive" according to the state, attacking a boy in July, two men in December, and a  girl and a man in February.

All of the Contra Costa County attacks occurred within two miles of one another in the morning or early evening.

In each incident, the coyote bit the victim in the leg, SFGate reported on Friday.

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State and federal wildlife services, the Orinda, Moraga and Lafayette police departments and Contra Costa County Animal Services worked together to track down the predator.

"It is the sincere hope of the agencies that locals can recreate outdoors in the area again with significantly reduced anxiety and that the community knows that outdoor recreation is still very safe," the state agency said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.