Posted on 10/28/2009 12:33:10 PM PDT by Borges
Taylor Mitchell, a 19-year-old Toronto singer whose debut album was released in March, has died in a Nova Scotia hospital after being mauled by coyotes in a Cape Breton park.
Mitchell was hiking Tuesday on the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park when she was attacked by two coyotes. Another hiker, who was walking nearby, heard her cries for help and called 911.
Officers arrived about 3:15 p.m., and one of the coyotes fled into the bush. The other coyote was shot and limped away.
Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax, where she died early Wednesday.
"I spoke to her mother late last night and at one point we thought, she was stable," said manager Lisa Weitz, "but she had lost too much blood."
The singer and songwriter, who loved the outdoors, had started her East Coast tour on Oct. 23 in New Brunswick and was scheduled to perform in Sydney tonight. "She had a small break and (she) wanted to go hiking," said Weitz.
Mitchell, whose MySpace photograph has her standing in the woods with a guitar in one hand, released her debut album this March.
A website review describes her album as "a collection of mostly original songs that showcases a range of styles, from folk to country-rock to pop."
Born and raised in Toronto, Mitchell studied music from an early age and graduated in 2008 from Etobicoke School of the Arts.
She was very excited to be touring the Maritimes, said Weitz. "She was just exhilarated to be on the road and performing."
Friends and family are in shock, said Weitz.
In Nova Scotia, Don Anderson, a biologist with that province's Natural Resources Department, said coyote attacks in the area are uncommon, but they do happen from time to time.
An Ontario girl was bitten on the same trail several years ago, Anderson said.
Ethel Merry, owner of the nearby Cheticamp Motel, said the incident was unfortunate but she wasn't surprised to hear about it. She said the motel is about 10 kilometres from the entrance of the park but she often sees coyotes.
"My home is a 100 feet from (the motel) but if it's dark outside, I don't walk alone," she said. "I've seen too many coyotes."
Merry said the attack hasn't fazed locals or park visitors. "Skyline Trail is one of the most beautiful and famous trails in the park. This isn't stopping any hikers," she said.
The park is on the northern tip of Cape Breton Island.
We live in the woods in “upstate NY”, and have these around too. Our two Belgian Malinois tag-teamed one who came up on our patio one night, and chased him off.
He was big! I don’t know how our dogs would fare if there were a pack, however. I would probably have to get out the rifle.
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Coyotes? or dogs running loose? I have a den of coyotes on my property, they never bother me or my animals. They get the blame from people for all that wild dogs, raccoons and foxes do
He was doing his nightly garbage run, up and down driveways looking for leftovers, with his head down while trotting along.
He damn near bumped into me while I was walking backwards saying “Whoa! Whoa!” He took off like a shot.
They are big, like a German Sheppard. But skinny and wild.
Scared me pretty good!
Meant as a true one.
My buddy just wrote a book about coyote hunting. Ironically enough it is called “Ready For Anything.” This poor gal obviously wasn’t. Predator hunting is a lot of fun and there needs to be more of it.
You can see his book and blog on coyote hunting here http://rizzoisready.blogspot.com/
“Last winter I was walking my female Dobie here in Palm Desert Ca about daylight when one started circling us. He had his eye on her but she just stood still and rotated as he circled.”
I was walking my dog on a trail in upstate NY and met 2 women who were certain that a wolf had chased their dog. I tried to tell them it was probably a coyote but they could not be convinced since it was larger than their dog which was ~20 inches tall and maybe 50 pounds. They were scared and leaving as quickly as they could. I’ve seen coyotes on that trail but never one that size.
Oh, yeah. I wouldn't be too surprised if the interbreeding theory were correct. Those aren't the coyotes I'm used to, for sure.
Always hike with a means of self-defense, even if it's only a stick. One of those "bear bomb" pepper-spray canisters could have saved her. They're legal in Canada, I believe, although I do know you can't take CS over the border. Canadian FReepers are welcome to correct me, please.
Very sad & tragic story. Canadian socialized medicine claims another victim!!!
Guy who works for me traps here in NE Pa. He got two and one weighed 65 lbs. The other dropped the hind quarter of a deer before the trap got him. Either one could do some real damage, Both together could have easily killed the girl.
Have some pictures somewhere.
My Brother hikes in Nevada mountains, said he heard a mountain lion shredding bark on a tree with its claws.
After that he bought himself a 45. Never leaves home without it. Calls me when he hikes. If dont hear back in 24 hours, search party time.
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scotia http://www.flickr.com/photos/teekathepony/3960327267/
I live in a “rural” area in the midwest. I shot and killed a coyote in my backyard earlier this year. I presumed he was hunting my Beagle pups which happened to be inside when he came trotting into our yard middle of the day.
Coyotes are predators, as such, unless in desperate situation will hunt and attack anything that is reasonably low risk for them to kill. Not sure why they would attack a full grown gal, but I do not doubt the story.
Predators such as coyotes are not cowards, as someone posted above, they have to be very careful of being injured as an even relatively minor injury can result in their inability to kill and therefor eat. A broken leg is a death sentence. A bad sprain can also be a death sentence for a predator.
My youngest brother is an avid deer hunter, he has killed a lot of coyotes recently, one that he killed a year ago when I was at his home weighed 28 pounds and I jokingly told him that it would have weighed 32 before he shot it with the 7MM magnum. He told me that he sat on a deer stand one morning and listened as a pack of them took down a full grown deer and ripped it to shreds. Between feral pigs and coyotes that might be rabid I am beginning to feel uneasy walking in the woods, something I could not have imagined forty years ago.
That's outstanding advice. I do a lot of solo hiking and if you don't at least leave a note, who's to blame when they don't find you?
All the more reason that she would have died sooner. The point was that people ususally die from loss of blood in close relation to the time of losing the blood.
Have to wonder, don't you? I don't see 2 coyotes stalking and attacking, but I'm not an expert. The photo of the young lady doesn't look like an "outdoors" person ... she is as pale as milk.
Story sounds shaky, but I guess if a coyote managed to rip and artery, that would do it if people didn’t know how to stop the bleeding, you are toast.
I would think she could kick the snot out of at least one of them before it did much damage. Then deal with the other. She could climb up a small tree far enough to escape their teeth, I would think.
When you fight a biting animal, you have to assume they are going to bite you, so just go after them with all you’ve got. Offer an arm and when they bite it, put your other arm behind it’s neck and roll the arms. Snap goes the neck.
My perception is that coyotes are much bolder acting as a pack predator than when solitary. This attack in Nova Scotia is an example. My heart goes out to the family of the victim.
A former neighbor of mine had a half-coyote dog that he would let roam at night. Occaisionally it would run through our backyard during daylight. Then it was a friendly creature to people so we knew each other.
Early a.m. about 5:30 I was out jogging and was approached by two dogs; my neighbor’s half-coyote and a very large, friendly Irish Setter. The setter came up and wanted to be pet so I didn’t pay attention to the other animal which had circled behind me. Surprise! That formerly friendly half-coyote sank its teeth into my left calf muscle.
I whirled about shouting and chased that son-of-a-coyote all the way to his owner’s house where he hid under a truck (the setter meanwhile disappeared). When I finally limped home I called the cops. I realized later how lucky I’d been that a vein or artery hadn’t been punctured.
“What a callow comment.”
Accurate, and what is wrong with that?
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