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Cornell

Coyote bites an adult on a gorge trail, prompting a university-wide notification

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Under Investigation

On the evening of August 25, 2025, a coyote bit an adult on the Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail near the Trolley Foot Bridge on the edge of Cornell's Ithaca campus, prompting a University-wide community notification that evening. Cornell University Police responded to Kimball Hall at about 6:45 p.m. EDT and the medium-sized grey coyote was repeatedly seen roaming campus into the night.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Cornell University
Private R1 · NY
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~26,000 studentsCornellALERT
Official alert policy
Read when and how Cornell says it will use CornellALERT: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimCornell Division of Public Safety crime-alerts archive ('Community Notification - Coyote Bite Cascadilla Gorge Trail')1102 chars
On Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m., Cornell University Police responded to Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive, in the City of Ithaca for a report of a person who was bitten by a coyote. The person reported to be traveling west on the north side of the Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail near the Trolley Foot Bridge when the incident occurred. The coyote looks like a medium-sized dog with a grey fur coat. If the coyote can be located and observed to be healthy, the risk of rabies infection can be ruled out, and rabies post-exposure treatment for the person who was bitten will not be necessary. Anyone with information related to the location of the coyote is asked to contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center at (607) 255-1111 or Tompkins County Whole Health Environmental Health Division at (607) 274-6688. Cornell University Police reminds the public to avoid contact with any wild animals and the importance of reporting bites to Tompkins County Whole Health Environmental Health Division as soon as possible to determine if rabies post-exposure treatment is needed.
Written in police-report register ('responded to Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive, in the City of Ithaca') rather than directive alert language; the grammatical slip 'The person reported to be traveling west' is preserved from the original
Describes the animal by analogy ('looks like a medium-sized dog with a grey fur coat') because most recipients cannot distinguish a coyote from a dog at a glance
Unusually, the notification explains the rabies-protocol logic: locating a healthy coyote would spare the victim post-exposure treatment, which is why it asks the community for sighting reports rather than telling them only to stay away
The notification is framed as a discretionary community/health advisory rather than a Clery timely warning, because a coyote bite is not a Clery-reportable crime even though it triggered a campus-wide message.
Corrected 2026-07-19 to full four-paragraph body from publicsafety.cornell.edu (prior text omitted final wild-animal reminder paragraph and collapsed paragraph breaks).
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

On Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m., Cornell University Police responded to Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive, in the City of Ithaca for a report of a person who was bitten by a coyote. The person reported to be traveling west on the north side of the Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail near the Trolley Foot Bridge when the incident occurred. The coyote looks like a medium-sized dog with a grey fur coat. If the coyote can be located and observed to be healthy, the risk of rabies infection can be ruled out, and rabies post-exposure treatment for the person who was bitten will not be necessary. Anyone with information related to the location of the coyote is asked to contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center at (607) 255-1111 or Tompkins County Whole Health Environmental Health Division at (607) 274-6688. Cornell University Police reminds the public to avoid contact with any wild animals and the importance of reporting bites to Tompkins County Whole Health Environmental Health Division as soon as possible to determine if rabies post-exposure treatment is needed.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the sender is present; the message names Cornell University Police.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "Cornell University Police", identifying the police as sender.
    2. present: It identifies "Cornell University Police" as the source.
    3. present: It names "Cornell University Police", the responding authority.
    4. present: It names "Cornell University Police", identifying the responding authority.
    5. present: It identifies "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center" as the source.
    6. present: It names "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center", the issuing authorities.
    7. present: Identifies "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center", the issuing authority.
    8. present: It names "Cornell University Police" and the "Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", issuing authorities.
    9. present: Names "Cornell University Police", a clear responding agency.
    10. present: It names "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center", the issuing authority.
    11. present: Identifies "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center" as sources.
    12. present: Names "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center" as the issuer.
    13. present: It names "Cornell University Police", the responding authority.
    14. present: Identifies the sender as "Cornell University Police".
    15. present: Names "Cornell University Police" and "Public Safety Communications Center", the authority.
    16. present: Names "Cornell University Police", identifying the responding authority.
    17. present: Names "Cornell University Police" and "Public Safety Communications Center" as authorities.
    18. present: It names "Cornell University Police", identifying the responding authority.
    19. present: It names "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center", the sender.
    20. present: It names "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center".
    21. present: Names "Cornell University Police", the responding authority.
    22. present: It names "Cornell University Police" and the "Public Safety Communications Center", identifying the sender.
    23. present: It names "Cornell University Police", a named responding authority.
    24. present: Identifies "Cornell University Police" and "Public Safety Communications Center" as authorities.
    25. present: It names "Cornell University Police", identifying the responding authority.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree a hazard is present, reporting a person bitten by a coyote.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific threat.
    2. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    3. present: It reports "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    4. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    5. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    6. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific threat.
    7. present: Names a "person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    8. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    9. present: Names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    10. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    11. present: Names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    12. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    13. present: It names the threat specifically: a "person who was bitten by a coyote".
    14. present: Names the hazard specifically as "a person who was bitten by a coyote".
    15. present: Names a "person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    16. present: Names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific threat.
    17. present: Names "bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    18. present: It reports "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    19. present: It reports "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific threat.
    20. present: It reports "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    21. present: Names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    22. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    23. present: It names "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    24. present: Names "bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
    25. present: It reports "a person who was bitten by a coyote", a specific hazard.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree a location is present, naming Kimball Hall at 134 Hollister Drive and the gorge trail.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    2. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific place.
    3. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the gorge trail.
    4. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the gorge trail, specific places.
    5. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail".
    6. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    7. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    8. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    9. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific location.
    10. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    11. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    12. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific location.
    13. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific place.
    14. present: Specifies "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", named places.
    15. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail, locations.
    16. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    17. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    18. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific location.
    19. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail, places.
    20. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail".
    21. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific place.
    22. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive" and the "Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail", specific places.
    23. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific place.
    24. present: Names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", specific locations.
    25. present: It names "Kimball Hall, 134 Hollister Drive", a specific place.
  • Guidancepresent23/25

    Final assessment

    Most reads find guidance present, directing anyone with information to contact Public Safety, while two view that as a tip request, not protective action.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", a directed action.
    2. present: It asks anyone with information to "contact" the named numbers.
    3. present: It asks anyone with information to contact Public Safety or Whole Health.
    4. present: It asks "Anyone with information ... to contact" the named numbers, an instruction.
    5. present: It instructs anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    6. absent: It asks for information about the coyote but gives recipients no protective action.
    7. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", a directed action.
    8. present: It asks "Anyone with information" to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", an instruction to recipients.
    9. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", an action.
    10. present: It asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", an action instruction.
    11. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", an instruction.
    12. present: It asks "Anyone with information" to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    13. present: It instructs anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", a recipient action.
    14. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", an instruction.
    15. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    16. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    17. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    18. present: It asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    19. absent: It asks anyone with information to contact police; no protective action for recipients generally.
    20. present: It asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    21. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center".
    22. present: It asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", an instructed action.
    23. present: It asks anyone with information to contact Public Safety, but also implicitly to help locate; primarily investigative ask is given as the only instruction.
    24. present: Asks anyone with information to "contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center", a directed action.
    25. present: It asks anyone with information to "contact" Public Safety, a directed action.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree timing is present, giving Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a specific date and time.
    2. present: "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m." is a specific date and time.
    3. present: It gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a precise time.
    4. present: It gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", date and time.
    5. present: It gives a date and time "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.".
    6. present: It gives "August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a specific time reference.
    7. present: Gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a date and clock time.
    8. present: It gives the date and time "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", time references.
    9. present: Says "On Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a specific date and time.
    10. present: It gives the date and time "August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a time reference.
    11. present: Gives the date and time "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", conveying when.
    12. present: It gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a clock time and date.
    13. present: It gives the date and clock time "August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a time reference.
    14. present: Gives date and time "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", precise time references.
    15. present: Gives "August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", conveying when.
    16. present: Gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a specific time.
    17. present: Gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a date and time reference.
    18. present: It cites "August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a date and time.
    19. present: It gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", specific date and time.
    20. present: It gives the date and time "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m."
    21. present: Gives date and time "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m."
    22. present: It gives "August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a clock time and date.
    23. present: It gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a date and clock time.
    24. present: Gives "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a time reference.
    25. present: It cites "Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:45 p.m.", a date and time.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present unanimously across all 25 reads. The alert reports a person who was bitten by a coyote, explicitly conveying harm to a person from the wildlife hazard.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post exposure treatment, conveying actual harm and danger.
    2. present: This reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies infection risk and post-exposure treatment, stating actual harm and a health danger.
    3. present: Describes a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying potential harm.
    4. present: It reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying physical harm and a health danger.
    5. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, stating harm and potential danger.
    6. present: It reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment which conveys harm to a person and a health danger.
    7. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying actual injury and potential health danger.
    8. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies infection risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying actual and potential harm.
    9. present: Reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses risk of rabies infection and post-exposure treatment, explicitly conveying harm and health danger.
    10. present: It reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and treatment, stating harm and danger.
    11. present: Reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses the risk of rabies infection and post-exposure treatment, stating clear harm and danger.
    12. present: It reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying actual harm and a health danger.
    13. present: It reports a person who was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, stating actual harm and danger.
    14. present: Reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying actual injury and a health danger.
    15. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying actual injury and health danger.
    16. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies post exposure treatment, conveying an injury and health risk.
    17. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying realized harm and danger.
    18. present: Reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying harm.
    19. present: Reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, stating injury and danger.
    20. present: States a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses possible rabies infection and post-exposure treatment, conveying actual and potential harm.
    21. present: Reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies infection risk and post-exposure treatment, clear stated harm and danger.
    22. present: Reports a person was bitten by a coyote with possible rabies exposure and treatment, conveying explicit harm to a person.
    23. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and treatment, conveying actual and potential harm.
    24. present: Reports a person bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies infection risk and post-exposure treatment, conveying actual and potential harm.
    25. present: It reports a person was bitten by a coyote and discusses rabies risk and post-exposure treatment, stating clear harm.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

The Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail runs along the northern edge of Cornell's Ithaca campus near Oak Avenue and the Trolley Foot Bridge, a heavily used pedestrian route. On the evening of August 25, 2025, Cornell University Police responded to Kimball Hall at about 6:45 p.m. EDT for a report of a person bitten by a coyote while traveling west on the north side of the gorge trail. Cornell sent a University-wide email that same evening, and student journalists visually confirmed the medium-sized grey coyote roaming campus into the night, with sightings reported near Teagle Hall around 11 p.m. EDT. The message urged the community to avoid contact with wild animals and to contact the Tompkins County health authorities about possible rabies post-exposure treatment. This is a representative example of a campus notification driven by wildlife rather than crime: the legal hook is health-and-safety discretion, not the Clery Act, but the delivery channel and tone mirror a timely warning.
Analysis

Key Findings

Cornell used its University-wide email channel for a wildlife/health advisory, not a Clery timely warning, because a coyote bite is not a Clery-reportable crime
The notification combined a specific location (Upper Cascadilla Gorge Trail near the Trolley Foot Bridge), a physical description (medium-sized grey coat), and a concrete health instruction (contact Tompkins County Whole Health about rabies post-exposure treatment)
The victim was an adult unaffiliated with the university, illustrating that campus alerts often cover incidents involving non-students on or adjacent to campus property
Outcome
The bitten adult, unaffiliated with the university, was urged to contact the Tompkins County Whole Health Environmental Health Division about possible post-exposure rabies treatment. Cornell said it was working with campus, local and state wildlife experts to address the coyote.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Community Notification - Coyote Bite Cascadilla Gorge Trail
    publicsafety.cornell.edu
    archived copy
  2. Student Paper
    Wild Coyote Spotted on Campus, Adult Bit - The Cornell Daily Sun
    cornellsun.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Cornell University Police respond to on-campus coyote bite incident - WBNG
    wbng.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    Coyote bites person near Cornell trail - Fingerlakes1.com
    fingerlakes1.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Cornell University: Coyote bites an adult on a gorge trail, prompting a university-wide notification." Incident of August 25, 2025. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/cornell-university-coyote-bite-2025-08-25/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
wildlifecoyoteadvisorynew-yorkrabieshealth-advisorycornellUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion