Musician Taylor Mitchell dies after coyote attack while hiking

A young folk musician had her life cut tragically short, dying from injuries sustained after being attacked by two coyotes while hiking.

Taylor Mitchell, 19, was hiking alone in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada, on Tuesday when the attack occurred.

Mitchell, of Toronto, was airlifted to a Halifax hospital in critical condition and died Wednesday morning.

The Ottawa Citizen reports that another hiker heard her screams and called emergency services. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers arrived at the scene and shot one of the coyotes, though both animals escaped.

Park officials later killed one of the coyotes believed to have bitten Mitchell. Its body was sent to the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island for pathological tests to try to determine why the animals attacked.

"If Mitchell ran from the coyotes or panicked, it may have triggered a predatory response in the animals," said Simon Gadbois, an animal behavior specialist at Canada's Dalhousie University.

"Coyotes are very shy animals," Gadbois said. "To me, this looks like two yearlings with very little hunting experience, probably very hungry, maybe a little bit desperate."

Fans continue to express condolences on Mitchell's MySpace and Facebook pages.

"Words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant and phenomenally talented young woman," Lisa Weitz, Mitchell's manager, said in an e-mail. "She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity."

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Undated promotional photo of Taylor Mitchell released by LW Communications.

Comments

[Habanero]

sad, only the second recorded fatal attack by a coyote and it had to be a young talented musician

R.I.P. Taylor Mitchell

[Yo]

She must have been coyote ugly!

[Jess]

"Yo" your comment... really? I hope your not an adult.

[marcus]

She is singing with Angels now.. may she be forever remembered!

[Constance]

"Marcus" your comment... really? I hope your not an adult.

[Lay In Peace]

Such a sad story. Feel so bad for her family, her friends, her fans. Lay in Peace, Taylor.

Those coyotes must've had rabies or something. They never attack large prey, so I wouldn't be suprised to hear they were sick, injured or starving. Even then I would think she could've fended them off. Such a rare occurence.

[jaime, charlotte nc]

i can't believe 'yo' and 'constance' - a poor young lady was viciously mauled to death and you make jokes. i continually am shocked by such ignorant people posting some of the most disdainful comments. somehow, i hope you get severally humbled by your lack or judgment.

to the family of ms. mitchell - i hope you find peace in your loss. as a father of two boys, my heart goes out to you.

[John Kelley]

Sound fishy to me Coyotes just dont attack adult humans. I would bet the enviromental wackos are trying to cover up a wolf attack

[Terry]

So, the Park Service "shot" a coyote that they thought was involved. How does a coyote doing what wild animals do, merit killing? How did the Park Service know that this was the coyote that killed this young woman?

Why was this girl hiking in the wilds of Canada without company?

[Bari Demers]

I'm saddened and outragged by our government policy to not allowing us to care fire arms into our wild wilderness. Individuals are being picked off by wildlife because we have no means to protect ourselves. It saddens me about the recent killing of Taylor Mitchell. Such a young promising singer/star to be killed by coyotes of all things. Canada - give us the right to arm ourselves in the wilderness. Conservation laws are becoming plain stupid. Conservation officers are armied and I believe it is time we are armed for our own protection.
As a long time conservationist and experienced outdoor enthusiastic hunter.
http://huntersguide.org
http://201art.com
http://whitenorthbooks.com

[R.J.B.]

Very sad story, but if the pictures and videos of the coyotes on the News Stories are the ones that roam Cape Breton Highlands National Park, then those are not true coyotes. They are interbred with wolves, and are known as coywolves. It happens, and is known to happen in the East. There are reports of it. Coyotes are fearful animals, wolves are not. These animals that attacked this poor woman were larger than a true coyote and showed wolf characteristics (seeing a human as food).

Its very sad this happened. May Taylor R.I.P. and rock Heaven's stage!

[CeAnn]

How very sad. How frightened you must have been. Rest in peace Taylor.

[flash]

It was a matter of time. These animals are not the normal "Coyotes" that most people think of. They are 60lb+ Northeastern canines that are, in my opinion, more like "Timber Wolves" than Coyotes. Governments will not admit it, though. The cost of protecting, and dealing with "Wolves" far excedes that of protecting "Coyotes".

[LEL, WBL MN]

One day we'll re-learn how to survive the wild. Should be armed when communing with 'eat or be eaten' nature since there's more out there than fuzzy bunnies and blue birds.

[Scooter Biggs]

What!? You mean Canadian universal health care couldn't save her? Say it ain't so!!!! I see coyotes all the time and they never bother me. But then again, it's usually right before I squeeze the trigger.

Speaking of universal health care, if you happen to be one of the 51% who voted-in this clown of an administration. Congratulations! You have all been promoted to village idiots. Rock on!!

[Prophet]

Hmmm, I wonder...did she not meet the cost-benefit threshold in Canada's marvelous Socialised HealthCONTROL System? You know, the same one Mrs. commie-PIGLOSI & Obummer is prepared to rahm down our throats? I wonder if the death panel dropped by the room and left her some "end of life" manuals?

[R.J.B.]

If there are moderators, how does a comment like Yo! or Scooter Biggs's get approved?

And flash, you are correct, these are not true coyotes, they ar coywolves, the coyotes and wolves are breeding there and are actually giving birth to young that can also breed (horses and donkey's breed and make a mule, but a mule is not fertile, whereas these coywolves are).

[Chet Szymecki]

Why does Canada not allow law abiding adults to protect themselves?

This goes entirely against the most fundamental of human rights, the right to defend out lives.

[Willers]

Taylor Mitchell's death is a tragic incident and condolences go out to her family and loved ones. However, her death should not be used as justification for fools to carry guns to shoot anything that 'threatens' them. Scooter Biggs and his ilk don't seem to be making much of a dent in the coyote population but a healthy wolf population would keep them in check. For those experts, coyotes are not shy or fearful animals. They are resourceful, survivors, and should be treated with caution, as should bears and other large wildlife.

[JDalco]

A sad story and proof that you should have a weapon with you when going out in the wilds to get back to nature. Once you leave civilization folks you are part of the food chain like in the old days. How quickly we forget. My sympathys to her family and friends, I am sure this is a hard time for them. . . .

[Shane]

"However, her death should not be used as justification for fools to carry guns to shoot anything that 'threatens' them."

Nobody is trying to justify fools carrying guns, but what about people who are not fools? It is foolish to categorically dismiss firearms as a defensive tool.

[SB]

Only fools would comment that Wolves will keep Coyotes in check and not do the same to humans who are "in the food chain" as pointed out. Hunting is a necessity to keep any animals from over populating and since there are not predators for wolves and few for coyotes, hunters are the best option. Coyotes are abundant breeders and are not kept in check by wolves. The sad note to the story is that the youg lady could not carry a handgun to protect herself.

[Cape Breton Highlands National Park]

The eastern coyote is descended from western coyotes which expanded their range northeastward as humans wiped out the native wolf populations. On the way, they interbred with wolves in northern Ontario and Québec. This means the animals in eastern Canada are actually a coyote-wolf mix, combining the wolf's hunting prowess with the coyote's adaptability to human activities. The eastern coyote is somewhat larger than its western ancestors because of its wolf blood.

The eastern coyote migrated to Nova Scotia in the late 1970s and had arrived in Cape Breton Highlands National Park by 1981. It may be competition for red foxes, bobcats and lynx which depend on snowshoe hares and rodents for food, like the coyote. Although it is a fairly large carnivore and sometimes hunts in packs, it has not filled the shoes of the wolf as the natural predator of moose, except in the spring when they sometimes take calves.

[Not surprised]

Animals have no reason not to see us as prey. They don't care what your college board scores were or how often you visited your grandmother in the nursing home. It isn't about blame. It's about the value of human life over a simple animals. Eventually people will see through the hatred for people the animal rights people have in their hearts. Shooting coyotes once a year to keep them on their toes and scared of people is the answer. The ones that don't run and aren't afraid aren't around the next season. What the pioneers did and the Indians before them no doubt...

[Bob]

"Yo". That is truly a disgusting comment about her being coyote ugly. She was eaten by mutant coyote-wolves! I hope you have little children who are ugly too and maybe they get eaten by Michael Vick's Pit Bulls or whatever animal lives in da 'hood where you're from!