RE: Released Coyotes in NY in 1983
If I understand it correctly, even if the DEC did release the coyotes to kill diseased rabbits, the tulemaria (spelling is always different on this one) is blood-borne, and would have been passed from the bunny to the yote. Thus it would not have made biological-sense to do so from the DEC point of view.
I think humans can even get it.