Canadian Singer Taylor Mitchell Dies After Brutal Coyote Attack
Taylor Mitchell, an up-and-coming Canadian singer-songwriter, died after being brutally attacked by coyotes earlier this week. The talented 19-year-old musician was performing at several locations in the Canadian Maritimes. In between gigs on Tuesday, the Toronto-native went hiking alone in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Two coyotes attacked the singer while she was walking along the Skyline Trail.
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According to reports, hikers in the area heard Mitchell’s screams and called the police. With bite wounds covering her body and in critical condition, Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax. She died Wednesday morning.
When the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrived on scene, the two animals were aggressive. Officers shot and injured one of the coyotes, but the animal fled. Officials are still searching for the injured coyote. The other coyote was killed later that evening. The dead coyote will be sent to the Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College for tests.
Coyotes, Canis latrans, normally eat at night and can weigh up to 50 pounds. While coyotes have been known to attack pets and even children, it is extremely rare for coyotes to attack adults. Although coyotes are considered to be clever and curious creatures, they are also quite shy. Park Superintendent Helene Robichard said that the unusual attack may have occurred due to “increased human-animal contact in national parks.” Bob Bancroft, retired biologist from Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources, said the attack is very rare. He said it was possible the coyotes mistakenly believed the singer was a deer or some other prey.
The young singer had just been nominated for the Canadian Folk Music Awards’ Young Performer of the Year, just days before her death.
Coyote photo Christopher Bruno
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‘Park Superintendent Helene Robichard said that the usual attack may’
unusual… unusual attack.
Oops! Thank you so much for pointing that out!
Some info on coyotes:
Eastern Coyotes tend to be bigger than Western Coyotes.
Through Mitochondrial DNA analysis, biologists have found Canadian Grey wolf genes in Eastern coyotes, & that this hybridization likely took place in Ontario Canada.
Coyotes are presently the most abundant livestock predators in Western North America, once a coyote learns that young livestock are easy prey, depredation can become a large problem.
Larger packs of coyotes can bring down larger prey such as an adult elk.
darn,this is such a sad story. she was a wonderful singer and had so much to give. only God knows why.
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What an idiot!! She didn’t look anything like a deer!!!
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.
Coyote attacks in New England are on the rise! They are pack hunting during the day and are attacking people with large dogs. My trash cans are untouched, but almost nightly we hear a kill call in our backyard. One chased my dog into our back door and almost into the house! He was a very healthy specimen and the size of a very large leggy German Shepherd.
I feel sorry for them, but they are NOT native to here and are extremely overpopulated and are killing cats and dogs all around us. I haven’t seen a deer or deer markings in years…..